Published: Monday, 22nd October 2018
The Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk is launching a very special interactive game that will be projected on to the Custom House in King’s Lynn.
The installation has been commissioned by the borough council as part of the national RAF100 celebrations, which mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Royal Air Force. It also celebrates the borough’s historically close relationship with RAF Marham, after the base was founded in 1916. RAF Marham was granted the Freedom of the Borough in 1981.
The projection will be officially launched at a ceremony on Monday 22 October, beginning at 6:15pm. The ceremony will be attended by the mayor, the borough council’s leader and deputy leader, personnel from RAF Marham, and cadets from the 42F Training Squadron. Wing Commander Matt Bressani from RAF Marham will play the very first game, to declare the installation officially open. Members of the public are invited to attend the launch, and try the game for themselves.
After the launch, the games will be projected onto the Custom House every evening from dusk (around 7pm) until 11 November. The controller for the games will be installed permanently on Purfleet Quay, so everyone is welcome to try the game any evening, or keep coming back to beat their high score!
The installation has been designed by Wisbech-based agency, Tinfish Creative, who are excited to see their virtual-reality and development teams contributing their technological expertise. They say delivering a community project around the Custom House and working alongside the borough council has been an amazing experience, especially after last year’s successful installation there as part of the Collusion project.
The installation is made up of four games that feature aircraft associated with RAF Marham. In Level 1 players must fly a Wellington and drop care packages on targets; in Level 2 they must manoeuvre a Lightning F35 through rings in the sky; in Level 3 they’ll fly a Mosquito low at night, dodge buildings and get to the hangar before time runs out; in Level 4 they’ll fly a Victor K2 and collect fuel tanks, and then refuel a plane. Players who earn a high enough score will be awarded a medal in the game; players who play all four games will reach a special ‘congratulations’ screen and be awarded a further medal.
Cllr Elizabeth Nockolds, borough council deputy leader and cabinet member for Culture, Heritage and Health, said: “We’re very proud of our close relationship with RAF Marham, and the support we offer to all military personnel as members of the Armed Forces Covenant. We wanted something unique and remarkable to celebrate the RAF’s centenary year, and this installation is certainly that. It combines the innovative technology and creativity we have in the borough, with the history of RAF Marham. Anyone who remembers the fun and excitement of playing classic arcade games such as Pac-man and Pong on this beautiful building will know this new installation will be unmissable!”
Wing Commander Bressani said: “RAF Marham are delighted that the borough council has chosen to celebrate RAF100 with us by creating this interactive light projection on Custom House. We are always humbled by the support we receive from the local community but this year people have gone above and beyond to celebrate our centenary with us. The four different aircraft within the games are all aircraft which have been based at RAF Marham since we opened in 1916, the Wellington, Mosquito and Victor are all older aircraft which are no longer in service, the F-35B Lightning arrived at RAF Marham in June this year and will be here for years to come. I am looking forward to being the first person to take to the controls on Monday evening. I hope I can attain a score to be proud of first time. However, if I don’t, I will be back before the 11 November to improve my score.”