The opportunities and challenges of our digital age are being explored by academics from across Cardiff University.
The Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultures Research is a new initiative bringing together researchers from the Schools of History, Archaeology and Religion; English, Communication and Philosophy; Journalism, Media and Culture; Computer Science and Informatics; and Social Sciences.
This leadership is in partnership with Cardiff University's Special Collections and Archives, building on a £300,000 external investment in state-of-the-art digitisation facilities and digital expertise.
Digital technologies are developing at a rapid pace - but their impact on how we consume culture and make sense of the world is less understood. Academics from across different disciplines will be working to provide important insights into these advances, which could inform policy, as well as businesses and the creative and heritage sectors interested in the potential of emerging digital technologies.
Dr Esther Wright, whose research explores the way that historical video games represent and make meaning from the past said: "Digital tools and technologies are now a normalised, taken for granted part of our everyday life. But what does that mean for the future of human society, culture, and creativity, as well as academic research? Our ambitious new centre will bring together academics from different disciplines to help identify and answer new questions to help us address contemporary challenges."
The study of the past and present is a key focus of the centre's work, drawing on a range of perspectives to bring historical and contemporary issues to life. Developing the careers of early career researchers is also going to be a focus. Ongoing and new collaborations with industry partners and community stakeholders will enhance our approach, ensuring our work addresses real-world needs.
She added: "I'm particularly interested in the fact that games, and other forms of interactive digital media, are significant ways that people make sense of the past, think about the present, and imagine possible futures. Researching how and why they do this is a vital consideration for digital humanities and cultures, and we are already developing a range of interdisciplinary expertise in these areas to explore this."
Professor Julia Thomas, whose work is at the intersection of historical images and digital technologies, said: "A digital environment makes images from the past accessible like never before, but, ironically, these images are in danger of being lost because they cannot always be found online. We want to harness computer vision and artificial intelligence to make these images searchable, so that the historical images of the past can be seen in the future."
Dr Jess Hoare, whose research explores how innovative technologies influence emotional engagement with heritage and cultural experiences, said: "Technologies continually reshape how we engage with the past, make sense of the present, and imagine our futures. Sometimes this is subtle, and sometimes not - but the impact is felt in which stories we tell, whose voices are heard, and who is left out. The Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultures Research creates space to engage with these issues critically and creatively."
Dr Jenny Kidd, whose research focuses on emerging technologies in culture and heritage, said: "The launch of the centre is a really welcome initiative which paves the way for further creativity and collaboration across - and beyond - the university."
Dr Daniel J. Finnegan, Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science and Informatics said: "AI has boomed in recent years, with many fearing the negative impacts it may have on society. We are taking a composed and reasoned approach to exploring the possibilities of this and other emerging technologies. Our focus is on understanding how best to adopt AI into our everyday lives so that the benefits spread equitably."
The centre is being supported by Cardiff University's Research Culture Fund and over the coming months there are plans to connect with local creatives and industry partners.
Professor Claire Gorrara, Dean of Research for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, said: "This is an exciting opportunity for interdisciplinary expertise in digital humanities at Cardiff to be scaled to explore and tackle pressing issues of our time."
