A seminar on techniques for leveraging users’ own mobiles in heritage sites (on HQS Wellington, moored on the Embankment in London UK, together with Info-Point in February 2018), inspired iMuse to look into creating online jigsaws.

Visitors can take a photo of some aspect of the site (or, of course, a selfie) and create a jigsaw or the site can make some online jigsaws available. See for example Brock Keep Jigsaw The image of the postcard is used courtesy Reading Museum and you can learn more about Brock Barracks here

Techie stuff – jigsaw-making software is available as open source. You can see (and download if required) the code source by going to Brock Keep Jigsaw and right clicking then view source. We are working on a simpler way of making downloadable source and also of allowing a visitor to create their own jigsaw using a site’s own webpage.

The software allows jigsaws with more pieces to be made. It also gives a satisfying ‘clunking’ sound when two pieces come close enough together to join up (if you’ve remembered to switch your sound on!).