Re-purposing and Impacting Historical Research Evidence through Digital Heritage and Interpretation Practice

Abstract

The dissemination and public engagement outcomes of the latest historical research evidence continues to benefit from tourism destination management and cultural institution intervention measures seeking to utilise digital technologies in reaching new audiences and enhancing visitor experiences 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 andnarratives as well as providing increased localised stimuli for in-destination visits to sites of historical interest and application of digital technology in presentation of aspects of intangible heritage. This paper investigates the digital heritage and interpretation practices undertaken by the University of Wales, Newport’s South Wales Centre for Historical and Interdisciplinary Research and 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.