CARLETON’S HYPERLAB TELLS NEW STORIES ABOUT ’S PUBLIC PLACES

Carleton University students and artifacts from early Bytown, the In operation since 2008, the Hyperlab researchers are working on innovative Arboretum is transformed into a liter- is a digital humanities research centre projects involving interactive technol- ary haunted house, and Carleton’s in which students use new digital tools ogies applied to public areas around campus becomes a dystopian zone to explore traditional humanities DR. SOPHIE TAMAS PRESENTS HER CU IN THE CITY LECTURE Ottawa, including Confederation populated by student zombies. objects and subjects, or bring critical AT THE IMPERIAL BUILDING ON . and Landsdowne parks. Carleton’s Players navigate the city and game humanities approaches to projects Hyperlab, a digital humanities space simultaneously, searching for involving new digital media and culture. research centre, has made projects the right path while avoiding both like these possible. real and virtual obstacles.” “The lab supports students from a CU IN THE CITY variety of disciplines, including The lab’s most recent project involves The Heritage Passages project music, sociology, game studies, LEARN OFF CAMPUS WITH FASS an exploration of Lansdowne, past, focused on Confederation Park and theatre and fi lm, who have projects present and future. This historical the . The Hyperlab’s involving a digital element but landmark, which shaped the social task was to create a locative live who seem to have fallen between and cultural life of early Ottawa, is museum app, where users could the cracks. The lab has become an undergoing a dramatic redevelopment. experience some of the digitized incredibly interdisciplinary centre as Lab researchers are planning to create artifacts from the online exhibit a result of these diverse students a mobile app that enables visitors to at the canal site itself using a bringing together their particular FASSen your seatbelts, the Faculty PAST CU IN THE CITY LECTURES: explore the park’s rich history and mobile device. expertise,” said Greenspan. of Arts and Social Sciences is leaving re-imagine its future as a public space. campus and coming to CU in the City! Mapping memory: Scrapbooking the In connection to this project, students impact of abuse by Dr. Sophie Tamas, It’s just the latest in a long line of at the lab created a game called the CU in the City is a popular series Banting Fellow in the Departments of interactive projects that give students Forgotten Worker Quest designed of talks that shares invigorating Geography and Canadian Studies hands-on experience. for 8-to12-year-olds. Young players FASS research in communities visiting the canal can access the across . Yousuf Karsh’s Cold War: Photography, “Hyperlab students have already game on a mobile device to play the Advertising, and Anti-Communism by developed locative games for edu- role of an 1820s immigrant worker. Each CU in the City event features Dr. James Opp, Associate Professor cation, critical tourism and heritage Participants locate tools and complete a Carleton faculty member or in the Department of History and conservation that use real city spaces tasks while avoiding explosions and student discussing a stimulating Co-Director of the Carleton Centre as a platform,” said Brian Greenspan, malaria outbreaks. Based on actual and accessible topic. for Public History the Hyperlab’s founding director. “A Bytown history, it is a scavenger hunt, stroll through Confederation Park history lesson and interactive tour of An engaging question and answer 7 Common Myths About becomes a quest for historical the canal site all in one. session follows each lecture. Drinks Procrastination – What They Teach Us and snacks are always served. About Strategies for Successful Goal Pursuit by Dr.Tim Pychyl, Psychology The CU in the City series provides opportunities for FASS faculty, Learn more on the Faculty of Arts students, alumni, and community and Social Sciences Research page: members to engage with one http://carleton.ca/fass/research/ another in an off-campus setting. BACKGROUND:

The Hyperlab is a centre for graduate-level research in the digital humanities, where students explore new ways of telling stories with new media Look for a CU in the City event at a like ebooks, video games and mobile devices. The lab’s team has developed tools for the rapid prototyping and development of mobile apps that location near you. Come learn and use GPS and location-based services to deliver site-specifi c information to users. Their spatial storytelling apps let users experience rich multimedia chat with FASS! narratives that follow them along and shift perspective as they navigate the real world. The Hyperlab was built with grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. carleton.ca/fass Checkout an engaging video on the Hyperlab at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSv9DwGmNfc 47