Viking village brought to life on big screen

Lara King
BBC News
Reporting fromGrimsby
Lara King Group of people dressed in Viking costume with red and blue round shields, axes and knives. They are all looking angry with their mouths open shouting.
Their outfits are different colours, orange, tan and grey with one bearded man wearing chain mail.Lara King
Members of the Lindesige Saeweard re-enactment group are bringing a Viking legend to life

A Viking legend synonymous with Grimsby will be retold through an immersive experience on a giant screen.

The Grim's Great Viking Village pop-up will take people on a journey through the town as it might have looked at the time of its Danish founder, Grim.

The project has been six months in the making and used gaming technology to re-create the village.

Producer Julia Thompson said the goal was to create something special for everyone to enjoy.

Lara King Woman with blonde hair wearing a red top smiling. There are people behind her and a screenLara King
Producer Julia Thompson wants to celebrate Grimsby's Viking heritage

The exhibit was inspired by the ancient tale of Grim, a fisherman who rescued Havelock, a Danish prince, off the Lincolnshire coast.

The experience, created by those behind the festival Grim Falfest, will see visitors sit in front of a large curved screen and "travel" through the town, reimagined as a Viking village.

Ms Thompson, who was festival director, said: "Our Viking heritage and the legend of Havelock and Grim is a unique story that belongs to our town.

"We wanted to create something special that both children and adults of all ages could enjoy and bring the story to life in a different way."

The experience was created using gaming technology, vocal recordings, greenscreens and re-enactors in motion-capture suits.

Performing arts students from the Grimsby Institute played some of the villagers and the soundtrack was created by Humber Taiko Drummers.

James Nuttall, from the re-enactment group Lindesige Saeweard, said providing the "actions and voice to such an iconic character as Grim was an incredible experience".

The exhibit will run from 29 -31 May at Grimsby Minster. A Viking longship, built by local craftspeople, will also be on display.

Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.