Using the mobile app - through a treasure hunt - the public can access the stories,
documents and tales of the archive through a hunt. Scope of the mobile
app had to be to increase the access of the public to the content of archives
and to involve them directly in the new approach towards the documentations
pushed by the project. The mobile app, of course, had to be freely available in
the main online stores (Google Play and App Store).
How to get three different archives into
one display? How to create something other than a simple digital gallery?
To manage the treasure hunt idea, and
drive it towards a not ordinary way we put the document at the centre of searching
activity. Instead of showing maps and geographical things with documents
attached on it, a treasure hunt on the document, through visual elements of
documents.
In a drag and drop system the users are
called to explore through a series of documents (one series for each partner)
and, following textual and visual clues, the user can find and then tap on the
right element on the document image. Each document corresponds to a level and
the right tap on the image (based on the give clue) unlocks the next
document/level.
This way, the users discover historical or
narrative contents about the documents and its era.
The logic of the game and the ability to combine images
of documents and text clues made it possible to use the archives in a different
way. Documents become pieces of narratives. The narrative itself, however, is a
pretext to underline the value of the archive.
The app has three different game path, one for each consortium partners and
focused on their archival material or interests.
The Crearch – Treasure Hunt application allows you to experience stories and solve puzzles by exploring documents from different European archives. Archives are not only immovable repositories of memory, but they can turn into the story of our roots, of our communities. The CREARCH app will allow you to solve puzzles and experience stories through archival documents ranging from the 17th to the 20th century.