Module description
This module will consider the design, capture and interactions of objects and spaces which allow us to challenge the barriers between the digital and the physical, with a particular emphasis on these technologies in cultural heritage contexts. From the recording and instantiation of digital objects through imaging and 3D printing, via digitally aware and connected artefacts and narratives, to the projection of the physical into the digital space through virtual environments, the physical body and the digital body have never been so directly connected. The module will examine the spectrum from real to virtual and the ways that digital design in this space is enabling innovation in cultural heritage and beyond.
Assessment details
Coursework - 4,000 word critical design report (100%)
Educational aims & objectives
- To introduce students to the main technologies for creating digital-physical interactions, including IoT systems, AR, VR, wearables and associated technologies, predominantly through case studies in cultural heritage;
- To prepare students to explore new digital-physical technologies independently, so that they are able to both train themselves in their use and analyse the benefits and challenges of using them, in areas both within and beyond cultural heritage;
- To develop critical awareness regarding the use and development of these technologies, with an emphasis on cultural heritage contexts;
- To develop expressions of technical and cultural heritage research that are sophisticated, engaging and accessible.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, the student will be expected to:
1. Have a critical understanding of the history of and theoretical influences underpinning cultural heritage's adoption of and influence on digital-physical, mixed reality and pervasive interaction technologies
2. Be able to evaluate methodological and technical approaches to interactive user experiences and data collection, with reference to cultural heritage and other sectors exploring the arts, culture and the human record.
3. Have a critical awareness of the nature of digital-physical technologies and the implications of pervasive, trans-media spaces.
Teaching pattern
Lectures and ten one-hour seminars, plus online synchronous and/ or asynchronous activities