Created by artists Andy Campbell and Judi Alston with funding and support from XR Stories, The Abandoned Library is a short VR experience and immersive digital art installation that premiered at The Art House Gallery in Wakefield and The British Library's MIX Conference in 2023.

In a future devastated by climate change, CJ, a young poet working as part of an environmental clean up operation on the flooded east coast of Northern England, tries to make sense of the turbulent and fragmented world around her.

A multi-layered work featuring spoken word poetry performed by Toria Garbutt, archive film from the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive, an entity called The Librarian (played by Dr Guddi Singh) and advanced realtime 3D weather and water simulations, The Abandoned Library won the 2023 Game Republic Award for Most Innovative Use of Technology and the Social Impact Award at SONA Immersive Storytelling Festival, Pittsburgh in 2025.

It was awarded a Triple-F rating by Bolton Film Festival for its female production team (writing and direction) and positive representation of women on-screen.

Available on request for PCVR and Quest 2/3 as an immersive 360 film. To enquire about access, screenings and workshops please contact us