A new "time portal" is set to bring a town's seaside heritage to life.
The wooden bathing machines on Bognor beach will make a return for the first time in more than 100 years - with the installation of a futuristic frame to see into the past.
By walking through the portal, history buffs and locals alike will be taken into the past. Mary Wheatland, a swimming instructor, bathing machine operator and lifeguard who lived more than a century ago and is credited with saving more than 30 lives, "guides" people along the way.
Artist Matt Reed, who lives in Bognor, is behind the project. He said: "I’ve been working on this project for the last few years and, with my team I’m really excited at the prospect of bringing this to my home town, celebrating the heritage of Bognor Regis and the life of incredible local figure, Mary Wheatland.”
Using a phone camera, spectators can pass through the portal and experience the beach opposite the old Brewers Fayre site as it was a century ago.
“We will be launching the work in time for the Easter bank holiday and to mark the 100th anniversary of Mary’s death on the 1st of April," said Matt.
"Members of the public will literally be able to step back in time and witness 'digital twins' of bathing machines where they once stood on the beach and to encounter a moving, talking holographic rendition of the Mermaid of Bognor herself, created using state-of-the-art volumetric video.”
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It is one of three new installations in the region, funded by £5,000 of Arun District Council's allocation from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, an Arts Council England award and support from Niantic Labs, creators of Pokemon Go.
The portals form part of a wider project to change perceptions of Bognor, which was identified as a priority by the Bognor Regis Town Centre Forum.
Heather Allen of Bognor Regis Business Improvement District (Bid) said: “Businesses have been really clear that the Bid should focus on promoting Bognor Regis as a tourism destination and changing the way people think about the town.
"This project does just that and it’s really exciting to support an initiative that reflects one of the town core values by celebrating Bognor Regis’s rich heritage in a really future-focused way by embracing the very latest technology.”
The frame has been designed to withstand the rigours of the seafront location with robust, easily cleaned materials. It will go live at noon on Friday, March 29, and run until the end of September 2025.
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