Digital Humanities Australasia 2018

Re-activating everyday heritage sites through digital worlds + #Coolheritage exhibition   (137)

Julie Nichols 1 , Aaron Davis 2 , Julie Collins 3 , Cut Dewi 4 , Darren Fong 3 , Stephen Nova 3 , Darren Peacock 5 , Eleanor Scicchitano 6
  1. Vernacular Knowledge Research Group, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
  2. MatchStudio, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
  3. UniSA, Adelaide, SA, Australia
  4. University of Syiah Kuala Banda Aceh, Banda Aceh, Indonesia
  5. National Trust of South Australia, Adelaide, SA
  6. Country Arts SA, Adelaide, SA

The panel will address different ways of building connections with heritage sites, for diverse demographic, community, institutional and cultural sectors, through ‘digital worlds’. The working definition of digital worlds includes: social commentary; social media; art installations and engagement; talk-back radio; podcasts; festival programs; local history groups & wiki sites; citizen history; virtual reality and augmented reality representations; performance activation; and democratisation of heritage through grassroots activism. These “digital worlds” will be discussed in relation to their application for specific case studies. Questions include:

  • How do these “digital worlds”/mechanisms re-activate heritage?
  • What is it about the “everyday” that is important and worth keeping?
  • Why is activation required? What do we value as a community? What roles can the arts and design professions play in broadening the demographic of visitors to everyday heritage sites? What do we need to know from our heritage sites and why?