DIGITAL SPACE WORKSHOP – Wednesday 26 February 2025
Exploring Digital Space – Fostering Interdisciplinary Collaborations and Grant Preparation
The Digital Humanities CoP and Hub are hosting an upcoming event centred around the theme of Digital Space which aims to serve as a platform for developing strategic partnerships, encourage innovative ideas, and lay the groundwork for future grant applications. We invite interested colleagues from all disciplines to attend the event to discuss their work, to foster interdisciplinary collaborations and cultivate synergies between academics and our museum partners.
What is Digital Space?
Digital spaces may represent, interact with, or perform similar functions to, physical spaces. They may be virtual environments, and/or platforms for interaction, communication and collaboration. These spaces include digital repositories and archives, online communities and social media platforms, digital (re)constructions and virtual worlds, e-learning and collaborative working environments, and more. Digital spaces play a crucial role in social interactions, knowledge exchange, and cultural expression, while also raising important questions related to privacy, security, ethics, and governance.
The following examples indicate the type of thematic areas that could be considered under the Digital Space theme.
· Theoretical frameworks for understanding digital spaces
· The impact of digital spaces on social interactions, community building, and networks
· The design, architecture, and user experience of virtual environments
· Ethical considerations and privacy challenges in digital spaces
· The role of digital spaces in education, learning, and public engagement
· Artistic expression and the cultural significance of digital environments
· The intersection and blending of physical and digital spaces in museums, heritage, and the arts
· Policy-making, governance, and regulation of digital spaces
· Case studies involving museums and cultural institutions’ use of digital space
· Digital political space
· Threats posed to and by digital spaces
· Relationships between digital and physical spaces (replication, preservation, augmentation, competition…)
· Language for, and in, digital spaces
How to respond
We are inviting all attendees to do a short presentation to introduce themselves and address the following points:
1. What ‘Digital Space’ means to you.
2. An outline of any research, publications, collaborations (etc.) that you have already done in this field.
3. Your ideas for future activity in this area, including collaborations, expertise and knowledge that you need to find or identify.
If you would like to attend the workshop, please send a brief outline (up to 100 words) to cover the points above to Dr Mara Oliva (m.oliva@reading.ac.uk) by 1st February 2025.
Event Details:
Date: 26 February 2025, from 11.00 to 14.00 (coffee/ tea and lunch included)
Location: Whiteknights Campus
Format: Flash presentations followed by breakout sessions designed to facilitate networking and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Future Collaboration Opportunity: This event will be followed by a one-day Action Lab in June 2025, where participants will have the opportunity to further develop collaborative projects and prepare for upcoming grant proposals.
We look forward to hearing from you and sharing ideas at this workshop!
The DH CoP and Hub