Travel 300million years in 3 minutes through forests, fire and factories.
A proud tradition of fighting for freedom but which chains are there left to break and which chains are there left to make?
Escape into the weird and wonderful pastimes of the West Midland’s industrious inhabitants.
A century of Soho Road is reimagined in a celebration of food, colour and community.
The frolics and fashion of the kids of the past uncovered by the youth of the present.
Birmingham 2022 Festival Presents
Supported by
Created by
In partnership with
Surfing Light Beams and Crossover Labs were originally commissioned to create an immersive experience that would turn the front carriage of a tram into a giant VR headset by using specially modified transparent LCD screens that synced to the real world using GPS and was created in Unreal Engine by a team of developers, coders and animators using the same process used to create VR and games.
This was put on hold when cracks were found in the bodywork of some of the trams and we are now unable to proceed with the project as originally planned. Here is a statement from West Midlands Metro:
“Time Travel Tram was put on hold following the suspension of tram services in March and since then West Midlands Metro has been fully focussed on repairing the trams and restoring services to customers. Although it was expected that work on the project would resume when trams returned to service, a subsequent review of the completed work to replace vehicle body panels has found that the installation of any additional equipment may compromise the integrity of these complex repairs. As a result, we are now unable to proceed with the project as originally planned, but are committed to delivering an adapted experience which will enable travellers to access the installation’s visual content via a personal mobile device. We understand the disappointment this may cause but our overriding priority is to maintain a safe and reliable service for customers, including visitors to the Commonwealth Games.”