New technology brings to life lost Bognor Regis heroine

The Bognor Regis Time Portal will offer a brand-new, free, innovative arts and cultural experience for the town, using augmented reality to bring the past to life.

Bognor Regis resident Matt Reed, an artist with a wealth of experience working in various creative fields including the film and TV industry (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Red Dwarf, Saltburn), says augmented reality will take history beyond museums and books, with free, easy-to-use technology allowing you to revisit Bognor Regis's heritage in the very same space it happened more than a century ago in a completely new and immersive way. More details on www.BRTimePortal.com

A brightly coloured, futuristic looking “portal” frame will signpost the location of the augmented reality experience. Following instructions on the signage, using their mobile phones or tablets to scan the portal and passing through, audiences will see and hear from Mary Wheatland – working-class swimming instructor, bathing machine operator and life-saver credited with saving more than 30 lives. You will also get the chance to experience the spectacle of three full-sized wooden bathing machines positioned on the main beach for the first time since 1923.

The physical portal and augmented reality art installation will be in place next to decking next to the beach, opposite the old Brewers Fayre site, and will be activated at noon on Good Friday, March 29. The experience will run until the end of September 2025. Actor Vicky Edwards, a regular in Bognor panto, will speak and move as Mary in a holographic version accessed through the QR code.

As Matt says: “Mary worked on the beach for more than 60 years and saved more than 30 people from drowning. She was working on the beach and from time to time people would get into trouble and she was the first one to go in. But also every day she would dive off the pier. She was a remarkable woman in a time that was very male-dominated. Vicky and I talked about how to imagine what sort of character she was and I would say she would have had to be a very hardy person because she was out in the elements day after day, year after year. She was also a businesswoman but I'd say that perhaps she was also a bit of a show-woman diving off the pier. She obviously had a very strong personality!”

Matt added: “The portal has been designed to stand out, attracting attention and interest from people, drawing them closer to find out more. It has been designed to withstand the rigours of the proposed seafront location, using a material that is robust and easily cleaned.

“I’ve been working on this project for the last three years, and now, with my team I’m really excited at the prospect of bringing this to my hometown, celebrating the heritage of Bognor Regis and the life of an incredible local figure.”

“We will be launching the work in time for the Easter Bank Holiday and to mark the 100th anniversary of Mary’s death on April 1. 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 walking, talking holographic rendition of the Mermaid of Bognor herself created using state-of-the-art volumetric video.”

Matt has taken great care to ensure historical accuracy. He has worked closely with local heritage experts, including members of the Bognor Regis Heritage Partnership and spent time researching at the Museum. Other partners are involved in bringing the installation to a wider audience, including schools and the wider community, with the BID, Artswork and VAAC committing ongoing support.