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A Sense of Place: Re-purposing and Impacting Historical Research Evidence through Digital Heritage and Interpretation Practice Ray Howell Matt Chilcott Vol.8 2013 International Journal of Intangible Heritage 165 A Sense of Place A Sense of Place: Re-purposing and Impacting Historical Research Evidence through Digital Heritage and Interpretation Practice Ray Howell Professor, South Wales Centre for Historical and Interdisciplinary Research, University of Wales, Newport Matt Chilcott George Ewart Evans Centre for Storytelling, University of Glamorgan ABSTRACT The dissemination and public engagement outcomes of the latest historical research evidence continue to benefit from tourism destination management and cultural institution intervention measures seeking to utilise digital technologies in reaching new audiences and enhancing the visitor experience through the deployment of high quality, authenticated, cultural heritage interpretative, digital content – accessed both online and on location. Whilst such activities offer new models of increasing public engagement with historical research, arguably they now also provide a new critical currency in the experiential dimension of the global digital economy. It is recognised that cultural heritage is a main contributor to tourism development, and internet tools provide platforms to extend the global reach of such heritage assets and narratives, as well as providing increasingly localised stimuli for in-destination visits to sites of historical interest and the application of digital technology in the presentation of aspects of intangible heritage. This article investigates the digital heritage and interpretation practices undertaken by the University of Wales, Newport’s South Wales Centre for Historical and Interdisciplinary Research. It shares the experiences of authoring content and designing pervasive and immersive digital deployments of authenticated cultural assets in response to national cultural institutions and local government ‘sense of place’, destination image and digital identity intervention measures in the region of south east Wales, United Kingdom. Keywords Digital heritage & interpretation, historical research, destination management, sense of place, authenticated content, cultural assets, digital identity, intellectual capital, Newport, South Wales, Caerleon, King Arthur, tetrapylon, Roman, Second Life, Mabinogi, Raglan, Cwmbrân, virtual museum. 166 Introduction evidence into the digital experiences created. Such Since 2008 the South Wales Centre for Historical and intellectual capital was considered paramount by Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Wales, commissioners in the securing of grant contracts, and Newport, has collaborated with digital media content thus highlights the connectivity of historian’s knowledge creators in forming digital interpretation cultural heritage to the economic intervention measures designed to assets and experiences which have been deployed in a create a new sense of place, cultural celebrations and wide variety of forms and contexts, and that provide new the enhancement of visitor experiences in their regions impact for the dissemination of historical research and of influence. The role of the digital creators was to ensure collaboration with cultural institutions, local government the best ‘fit’ of technologies to the nature of public tourism leaders and local history community groups. engagement with the cultural assets created, with an Until 2011 this interdisciplinary approach took place with emphasis on maximising the global research of web- the University of Wales, Newport’s Institute of Digital based developments and enhancing visitors’ experiences Learning, and from 2012 with the CMC2 Community with digital constructs on location at key sites. This Interest Company located in Monmouthshire in south east creative interdisciplinary working ensured a strong blend Wales, with whom a Digital Tourism and Interpretation of expertise in producing historically sound messages strategic alliance has been established. The emphasis of and media. collaboration with digital developers has been fully interdisciplinary and has thus enabled innovation in the manner of cultural heritage narratives and the forming of new collections, which, as ‘outputs’ also serve as new Interdisciplinary experimentation and impact experiences in the digital economy. As Graham practice (2002) argues, heritage is the part of the past which is Each digital heritage initiative presents specific selected for contemporary use, or a purpose of the challenges, but all demand a measured interpretative present, and heritage as knowledge constitutes both approach and a balance between content and economic and cultural capital. Furthermore, whilst presentation. Identifying an appropriate user profile, for authenticated heritage is a principle component in example, is difficult, given a potentially wide variation in strategies to promote tourism and wider economic age, particular interests and levels of expertise within the development measures, it is also a cultural product that user community. There is also a temptation to allow can alter consumption and perception at heritage places, enthusiasm for a particular media innovation to lead to a and can in itself create places for heritage consumption compromise in content (see for example, Herbert, while raising awareness of intangible heritage with each D.:1995, pp.16-17). There is a danger that media as a experience. Therefore, it can be argued that historical vehicle for presentation and interpretation of historical or research evidence, re-purposed as digital heritage, can heritage related themes will be allowed to become ‘the exert a great influence over a region's sense of place in message’ to the detriment of the content. In our recent both cultural and economic terms. cooperative ventures, we have tried to ensure that an appropriate balance has been achieved. [Plate 1] The majority of the digital interpretation initiatives undertaken by the South Wales Centre for Historical and We believe that an example of media being employed Interdisciplinary Research were on a commissioned to present the latest research findings in an innovative basis which informed, in most parts, the style and nature and appropriate way, is our digital trail of Roman of desired outputs in the form of cultural heritage and Caerleon, prepared for the Royal Commission on the tourism enhancement products, including digital trails, Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales in the Welsh websites, video webcasts, virtual museum spaces and Government-funded People’s Collection Wales online augmented reality constructs. Despite the topic areas of digital platform (Howell, et al: 2010a). Caerleon is one of some commissions being considered potentially the leading Roman sites in Wales. The headquarters of contentious, in all productions it was understood that the the Second Augustan Legion for some 200 years from c. historian, as authenticating author, would retain their 75 AD, it was one of three permanent legionary fortresses intellectual freedom and integrity in determining the best in Britain. The project provided an interactive digital trail methods of integrating the latest historical research which incorporates web-based, downloadable audio and Vol.8 2013 International Journal of Intangible Heritage 167 A Sense of Place Plate 1 Roman Caerleon Trail Guide leaflet. visual multi-media information compatible with mobile relating to the fortress has tended to concentrate phones, including QR codes which allow downloadable exclusively on the Roman army. We took the view that a site information. This information is provided bi-lingually, broader historical perspective was needed and shaped with Welsh or English language content as preferred. our trail accordingly. For example, the fortress was built Incorporation of web-based computer generated as a centre of military administration in the aftermath of reconstructions of the Roman fortress allowed the Silurian War, a quarter of a century long guerrilla presentation of the very latest research findings relating campaign fought between the Roman army and the to the site, prepared in consultation with the Royal native Silures (Howell: 2009, pp.65-75). As a consequence, Commission and the National Museum of Wales. For we introduced a ‘Silurian dimension’ by extending our example, we were able to present a computer generated trail to the Iron Age hill fort on Lodge Hill which reconstruction of the tetrapylon which once stood at the overlooks Caerleon. This allowed us to consider both centre of the fortress. This feature is best understood as the war and the nature of pre-Roman native society, as a four-way triumphal arch providing an imposing demonstrated by an important centre of the Silures entrance into the headquarters precinct (Zienkiewicz: (Pollard,et. al.: 2006; Howell and Pollard: 2004 and 1993, p.140; Howell: 2000, pp.387-395). It is also an Howell: 2009). Similarly, we felt that the ‘story’ of the site example of a tangible heritage asset associated with one should include some reference to its post-Roman cultural tradition, in this case the Welsh uchelwyr (the development, and approached this need by referring to aristocracy), which became intangible with its destruction sites such as the medieval castle which incorporates a in an attempt to ‘erase memory’ and impose a new segment of the Roman wall, which developed in the Anglo-Norman tradition in the region (Howell: 2012, Middle