Bringing Victorian Glasgow to Life Through Digital Storytelling
Gallus Glasgow
Client: Glasgow City Heritage Trust
Work Type: Interactive Heritage Experience, 3D Animation, Art Direction, Software Development & Sound Design
Scottish Design Award finalist project 2022 for Digital Media: Moving Imagery Design/ Animation Design category.
Gallus Glasgow is an interactive heritage experience that reimagines Thomas Sulman’s 1864 Bird’s Eye View of Glasgow through 3D animation, dynamic storytelling, and immersive sound design. Developed in partnership with Glasgow City Heritage Trust, the project transforms the iconic map into an engaging digital journey, exploring Glasgow’s Gilded Age through the eyes of an Irish immigrant family.
We digitally restored and animated the map, taking viewers to street level to follow a day in the life of typical working-class family living in Glasgow in 1864. Through cinematic camera techniques, from sweeping tracking shots to character-driven POV perspectives, we crafted a visually rich, historically detailed world. A bespoke score and immersive sound design further evoke the city's energy, from bustling docks on the River Clyde to the cobbled streets of the West End.
The project extends beyond animation into a fully interactive microsite, featuring a street, view style map where visitors can zoom in, explore historical data layers, and contribute their own stories and images.
Crafting Authenticity in Visual & Character Design
Our custom art style places viewers inside the historic map, reflecting how Glasgow’s streets and civic spaces may have felt to its 19th-century inhabitants. 2D-animated characters, designed with period-accurate costumes, populate the 3D world—from governesses in high-necked blouses to dockworkers in layered aprons.
To maximise engagement, we produced a teaser, trailer, and individual character chapters, used across social media to attract new audiences to heritage outreach programs.
Gallus Glasgow is a labour of love, made possible through close collaboration with writer Chris McMillan, composer David Donaldson, and actor Karen Bartke. The microsite ensures the work continues to evolve, allowing users to explore, contribute, and engage with Glasgow’s history in a truly interactive way.
The full project can be explored here: Gallus Glasgow website
“A trailblazing project in the world of heritage." - Lauren Millan, That Museum Girl
“Phenomenal” - Grant McAllister, Past Glasgow
“A cracking new resource” - Dr. Emily Munro, National Library of Scotland
“Street view for 1864” - David Pritchard
“Outstanding work” - Jon Mollyneux, Glasgow City Councillor
"SUUM.studio took our vision and elevated it beyond expectations, combining technical expertise, historical accuracy, and creative storytelling. Their commitment to authenticity and immersive design resulted in an animation that captured the essence of Victorian Glasgow. Their integration of scriptwriting, music, and sound design created a powerful experience, recognised as a finalist in the Scottish Design Awards 2022. An enriching collaboration from start to finish."
Heritage Manager, GCHT
