A Vixen’s Tale is a mixed physical and digital installation inspired by Leoš Janáček’s opera, The Cunning Little Vixen, which is created as a pop-up book-style world. The experience was commissioned by the Welsh National Opera, with a brief of using immersive technology to engage new opera audiences, especially younger visitors.

Fusing together operatic soundscapes and theatrical staging with augmented reality, A Vixen’s Tale uses play to create a rewarding, immersive storytelling experience.

Using branded iPhone XRs and Bluetooth headphones, visitors ‘follow the Vixen’ – an animated character that appears in AR – through a series of gamified vignettes, each unlocking a section of the story. The dramatic experience plays out across a series of five beautifully crafted wooden arches that represent the passing of the seasons and the titular Vixen’s emotional narrative arc.

The result is a multilayered experience: the visually imposing arches with embedded speakers make for an intriguing sight for passersby to explore; fun AR Snapchat lenses bring casual audiences closer to the Vixen and her tale; and the curious are rewarded with an immersive visual and audio experience as they journey through the arches alongside the Vixen herself, all set to the overtures and arias of the Welsh National Opera’s recordings of Janáček’s opera. 

Design: Arcade