2023–27 · University of York & MOLA

Hacking the Big Smoke

AI-mediated collaborative play with archaeological data in public space — LLM gameplay, embodiment, and sonification at one of London’s busiest transit hubs.

Hero still / trailer

Problem. Archaeological data at urban scale is rich but hard for publics to engage with meaningfully — especially in busy, contested spaces.

System. Experimental prototypes for AI-mediated play with the past: LLM-driven gameplay over WhatsApp, embodied interaction, and data sonification, designed for large-scale collaborative meaning-making.

Outcome. AHRC Collaborative Doctoral research spanning design, deployment, and evaluation of playful systems that bring London’s archaeology into everyday interaction.