(IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
Reflecting on my practice as a professional heritage site interpretation designer, I wanted to understand whether the gaps in curator/designer/visitor communication I experienced was the same for other heritage site interpretation design practices. This initial reflection led to my thesis focus and research question, which has since led to the development of a new heritage site interpretation project ‘Virtual Cities’, recreating two eras of Winchester, medieval and Georgian. Stepping between architectural timeslices as a heritage site visitor/designer started with Dunster Castle at Minehead, taken further for Beaulieu Abbey, Hampshire, followed by Malmesbury Abbey and market town, and now the City of Winchester. My focus has always been visitor choice and, therefore, by reconstructing sites through the ages offers that choice, visually and through storytelling. A model for ‘Collaborative Heritage Site Interpretation Design’, developed from my PhD research using Action Research, Practice‐led design and Design Thinking approaches, will be used for developing a prototype of an area of Winchester to the full city across the two eras. The model extends a user‐centred design and participatory design process to include a consistent curatorial, design and visitors team for the design and development of heritage site interpretation, with the intention of enhancing visitors’ engagement and experience at heritage sites. Heritage sites can be considerably different in the context of space, storytelling and interpretative portrayal of artefacts than museums, with museums leading in visitor engagement practices and innovative interpretation. This includes the use of digital technology, for which Beaulieu Abbey (2010) and subsequent heritage site interpretations, were early advocates in the use of 3D reconstructions and choice of content on mobile platforms. New technological developments for heritage sites can build upon the collaborative and multi‐disciplinary nature of the model, for which, it is hoped, Virtual Cities-Winchester will prove an excellent example.
Dr Deborah Wilson is Co-Director of the Centre for Enterprise, Design & Innovation at the University of Winchester, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for several of the Digital Media, CAD and 3D programmes. Deborah is also Owner/Designer of The Talking Walls, which is a research platform for multimedia, visually rich educative applications for users to explore cultural heritage sites across specific time-slices, defined by architectural changes to the property. Deborah’s PhD (Practice-Led Design) ‘Curator, Designer & Visitor Interaction in Cultural Heritage Interpretation Design Practice’ involves the relationship and collaborative knowledge exchange between the three parties and design processes used for collaborative interpretation design at heritage sites. She has led externally funded projects, for example: Beaulieu Abbey (SMART micro project £45,000) and Malmesbury Abbey (Malmesbury Town Council £20,100). Deborah is also developing a project prototype ‘Virtual Cities-Winchester’ reconstructing a section of Winchester in medieval and Georgian eras, working with students, across faculties and external professionals. Through CEDI, she has succeeded in funding applications through HEIF, for example designing a set of multi-discipline workshops for ‘Design Thinking for Sustainable Living’ for internal and external collaboration in solving sustainable living design issues.
5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Friday 17th June, 2022