DCRC - Digital Cultures Research Centre

The REACT Books and Print Sandbox launched today at the Pervasive Media Studio with eight new projects exploring the new frontiers of publishing and the changing nature of books and other printed media. You can find out about all eight projects on the Books and Print section of the REACT website.

DCRC had a strong contingent at the AHRC Digital Transformations Moot (On twitter see: @AHRCdigitrans #digitrans) in London this week where there was a frenzy of networking and sharing of an incredible range of work, culminating with a performance by Imogen Heap demonstrating ‘The Gloves’, a collaboration with UWE’s very own Tom Mitchell.

Last Friday saw the culmination of a fantastically successful first sandbox programme for the REACT knowledge Exchange hub. The highliy anticipated and sold out Heritage Sandbox showcase event on the 28th of September gave an engaging overview of six innovative projects linking academics and creative industries partners. One of the projects was, of course, City Strata, led by DCRC researcher Charlotte Crofts.

The AHRC-funded REACT Knowledge Exchange hub have announced 'Books and Print' as the theme for the next Sandbox development scheme. The scheme will fund six collaborations that develop explorations around this theme in how we read, learn, and publish. Over the next few weeks REACT will draw together the full brief for the call and refine the application process. You can join the REACT Mailing list to be kept up to date with announcements as they are made. 

The weeks leading up to Easter bring the end of term at UWE, the announcement of the first cohort of REACT projects, under the heritage sandbox scheme, and the introduction of our teaching pages on the DCRC website. The 30th of March marks the end of the 134th week and the 6th of April the end of the 135th week of the DCRC.  This fortnight note, a double week note, provides an overview of the DCRC's activites between 26th March and Easter (8th April).

Building on the success of her research in context-aware heritage, DCRC researcher Charlotte Crofts has been successful at winning one of six commissions as a part of the REACT Heritage Sandbox scheme, the first sandbox held by the South West Creative Industries Knowledge Exchange Hub.

While fending off some seasonal bugs, the DCRC has maintained momentum in our various forms of ongoing research and its translation into the classroom. Week 132 has brought incremental steps with the activities of the REACT hub, with both producers now ensconced in the studio, and with the Fusion lab. 132 is a refactorable number and in November last year it was reported that 132 councils had 'lost' personal data between 2008 and 2011.

REACT is a collaboration between the University of the West of England, Watershed Arts Trust, (and its subsidiary iShed), and the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. It reaches across two dynamic UK regions, and uniquely across three cultural areas and two languages and creative economies. Together we will generate a transformation in arts-driven economic and social impact by combining demand from the Creative Economy with Arts and Humanities research excellence. Through REACT we will pioneer a new model of dynamic creative interaction: Sandbox.

As the seasonal parties begin in earnest the DCRC team would like to wish everyone compliments of the season as we look forward to a productive 2012.

The week ending the 9th of December saw research engagements near and far, brought renewed discussions of the work of Bernard Stiegler, and launched the first ideas lab for the REACT hub, in Exeter.