DCRC - Digital Cultures Research Centre

The week auspiciously ending the 13th of July was also the 149th week of the operation of the DCRC. The week brought workshops on books & print and smart cities, as well as talks on gamification, interactive documentary and a visit from the university's board of governors. 149 years ago in 1863 the first section of the London Underground opened and the International Committee of the Red Cross was founded. In week 149, the DCRC and the Centre for Fine Print Research held a two-day workshop on the future of the book and contributed to the Open City programme for the European Capital of Culture Guimarães 2012.

The week ending the 6th of July brought success with apps, international seminars, cogitation of the 'post' digital and torrential rain, as well as marking the 148th week of the operation of the DCRC. 148 years ago, in 1864, Roscoe and Busen reputedly carry out the first 'flashlight photography', the sociologist Max Weber was born and the Clifton Suspension bridge opened, with a posthumous tribute to its designer I.K. Brunel. In week 148, Curzon Memories featured in the London AppCircus, the DCRC collectively (critically) considered the notion of what has been described as 'post' digital and we have been preparing for the Future of the Book.

The week ending the 22nd June, the 146th week of the DCRC, brought more discussion of innovations in documentary praxis, inter-continental travel, projects being short-listed for awards and vertiginous debate. The output from Charlotte Crofts' DCRC-supported project has been shortlisted for the Appcircus showcase, while plenty of discussion about the future of publishing and the reconfiguration of documentary practice has proven productive. 146 years ago, in 1866, the author H.G. Wells was born and the Atlantic cable was successfully completed, allowing transatlantic telegraphic communications for the first time.

Weeks 143-145 of the DCRC have been rather busy with the annual array of double-marking, meetings and paperwork necessary to finalise marks and awards for this academic year. Equally, members of the centre have been involved in planning for a new academic year, a partial change of surroundings - as Media Practice and Culture moves to the Bower Ashton campus, and planning some upcoming events. DCRC researchers have contributed to the celebrations of Watershed's 30th birthday, the Sheffield DocFest, embarked upon residencies and prepared for a summer of international travel.

The week ending the 25th of May is also the 142nd week of the operation of the DCRC and featured a feast of fusion, sandbox and tricksters in the glorious sunshine. 142 years ago, in 1870, the General Post Office took over the functions of telegraphy that had until that time rested in private hands. 1870 also marked the death of the author Charles Dickens, on the 9th of June, whose complete works rank 4th in the best-selling anthologies on the Kindle store.

The week ending the 18th of May saw researchers conducting interesting conversations both near and afar, some reflection and also looking forward, the week was also the 141st week of the operation of the DCRC. 141 years ago, in 1871, Henry Stanley tracked down David Livingstone on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, five bank holidays were introduced by law for the first time, the Rugby Football Union was founded and and trade unions were legalised.

The beginning of May, weeks 139 and 140 of the DCRC, marks a transition into assessment and recognising the efforts of our students and pushing forward with nurturing the seeds of new research. We have PhD students moving into the final stages of writing up and moving towards examination, as well as undergraduate end of year shows. 139 is a prime number and the number of one of the ports used as part of the Microsoft Windows NETBIOS file sharing system. 140 is, of course, the character limit of a post on Twitter - based on the original calculation of an SMS message limit at 140 8-bit characters.

As the summer term begins, week 138 was a period of travel and several projects progressing. DCRC Director Jonathan Dovey was invited to present research concerning value networks in pervasive media in Lüneburg and PhD researchers Dan Dixon and Sy Taffel have been involved in conferences and workshops. 138 is the sum of four consecutive prime numbers (29+31+37+41) and on page 138 of New Media: a critical introduction, written by DCRC researchers, the concept of 'hyperrealism' is discussed as 'a distinct and dominant aesthetic in popular animation', developed by Disney, in relation to the notion of 'hyperreality', offered by Baudrillard and Eco.

The 136th and 137th weeks of the DCRC brought talks both in the studio and further afield and our own small contribution to the 'entente cordiale', with a visit from Christian Fauré, of Ars Industrialis.

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).