https://kingathelstan.info

King Æthelstan, crowned in Kingston in 925, was the first monarch to unify England, over a century before the Norman Conquest. His reign marks a pivotal era in British history. Now, thanks to a visionary digital heritage initiative, his story is being reimagined for the 21st century through immersive technologies.

The King Æthelstan Project brings together world-class sculpture, virtual and augmented reality, interactive storytelling, and local history to create a powerful public experience rooted in place and time. At its core is a highly detailed digital rendition of a new sculpture by master figurative sculptor Andrew Sinclair, presented exclusively in immersive digital formats.

The project, led by Dr Jarek Francik from the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, brought together Computer Animation alumni Christel ’t Hoen and Joana Sousa Dias, responsible for 3D modelling, texturing, and animation, and Matteo Marelli, a current Computer Games Programming student, who was a software developer. The core team was complementedby Alan Birkinshaw, a local businessman from the sculpting company Shopping Mary Limited, who served as the project’s business coordinator.

Supported by a KERI Collaboration Grant from Kingston University and the UKSPF BIG Growth Programme backed by the Mayor of London, the project entered an ambitious new phase in 2025. This next stage was marked by a significant strengthening of the creative team, with the addition of composer Dr Leah Kardos and her colleagues from Kingston School of Art, who are crafting a spatial soundscape and adaptive music composition to deepen the emotional impact of the experience. The initiative brings together expertise from the university’s Institute of Cyber, Engineering and Digital Technologies (CEDT) and the Institute of Design, Art and Creative Practice (DACP) in a bold, interdisciplinary approach.

The King Æthelstan Project is now an official cultural partner of Kingston 2025, a borough-wide programme led by Scott Furlong, celebrating the 1100th anniversary of Æthelstan’s coronation. As a highlight of this historic initiative, the project contributes an innovative digital dimension to Kingston’s cultural heritage and public engagement activities. [more about this collaboration]

[more about Our Mission]

Designed for the Meta Quest 3 headset, the experience uses cutting-edge mixed reality, hand tracking, and spatial anchoring to blend digital content with the real world. Visitors don’t just learn about history — they interact with it.

While projects such as the British Museum’s VR and AR experiences, Dockland’s Museum’s “London Sugar & Slavery” exhibition, and the Smithsonian 3D Digitization program showcase the trend of using technology in historical engagement, our project stands out through:

• Partnering with a world-renowned artist, adding an artistic dimension by unveiling the sculpture exclusively in VR and AR, ultimately positioning the project as a groundbreaking initiative that merges art with cutting-edge technology.
• A focus on local context by linking the digital experience to King Æthelstan’s coronation site, deepening appreciation for local heritage and fostering community involvement.
• This project marks the first-ever digitization of King Æthelstan, preserving his legacy in an entirely new format.

Recent enhancements include:

• AI-driven storytelling: A voice-based virtual Æthelstan engages visitors in conversation. Visitors who approach King Æthelstan with a respectful bow are granted a chance to ask the King a question. His responses, delivered in a natural speaking voice, are powered by OpenAI technology, allowing the King to engage in mythic yet conversational dialogue.
• Subtle animations: Breathing life into the digital sculpture by introducing natural and interactive movement, gesture, and expression to the virtual figures.
• Spatial soundscape and adaptive music: A dynamic audio layer that responds to user movement, enhancing immersion and emotional impact through evolving sound and music.

Recent events marked two major milestones in the public launch of the King Æthelstan Project, presented as part of Kingston 2025, the borough-wide celebration led by Programme Director Scott Furlong to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of King Æthelstan’s coronation.

On 19 July, the Grand Opening was held at Kingston’s Historic Market House — just steps from the very site where Æthelstan was crowned in 925. This first public unveiling of the digital statue and immersive experience drew strong interest from local residents, heritage professionals, and artists. The event was led by Dr Jarek Francik and featured an insightful talk by sculptor Andrew Sinclair, who shared his artistic approach to bringing Æthelstan to life. A short address by Professor JC Nebel, Director of KERI, highlighted the project’s innovative potential and his institute’s key role in supporting its development. Audience reactions were warm and enthusiastic, with many praising the depth, beauty, and originality of the experience. [more about this event]

The second showcase, held on 27 July at the Canbury Gardens Bandstand, ran as part of Athel’s Town programme curated by Kingston Heritage Service (more here). Over 80 people experienced the immersive mixed reality installation and heard directly from the creators about the story, animation, sound, and interactive design. Visitors responded with delight and curiosity, often describing the experience as “amazing,” “adorable,” and “fun.” The event attracted local media attention, including coverage in the Surrey Comet and on local radio, and was widely praised as a successful fusion of creative technology and accessible historical storytelling. [more about this event]

This experience is currently implemented as an application for the Meta Quest 3 VR/AR headset. No additional hardware is required; however, a laptop or smartphone wirelessly connected via the internet can be used to view the image cast directly from the headset in real time.

VR headsets should be used indoors, but we have successfully run an event in a semi-open environment. An unobstructed space of at least 3 x 3 meters, preferably larger, is required for optimal use. The application supports safe participation of up to 4 participants at a time; their interaction and virtual co-presence enhances the experience. We also plan to develop a version of the experience for mobile phones, using AR technology similar to that used in Pokémon GO. This version would support an unlimited number of users and could be easily associated with either an indoor or outdoor location.

[Press Release – previous version]