Research impact
In every aspect of research, our academics strive to engage with public, private and charitable organisations to produce research that effects change beyond academia. Illustrated below are some examples of how our multidisciplinary research has impacted wider society, culture, quality of life, environment, public policy and the economy, by embedding Heritage into practical activity.
The Development of Novel Strategies and Values for the Preservation, Conservation, and Presentation of Cultural Heritage
Prof. Giannachi’s research – involving documenting, archiving and replaying multimedia art, heritage and performance – has helped organisations adapt to changing cultural values, as well as generating new ways of thinking about and influencing creative practice.
Raising Awareness of the Destruction of Cultural Heritage in the Middle East and the Caucasus
Dr Emma Loosley’s project aims to support cultural heritage professionals in conflict, post-conflict and post-Soviet contexts in their work of protecting resources and in promoting public education agendas. Research outcomes include raising awareness of these issues in the hope of mitigating destruction, looting and over-restoration.
Curated Decay: Heritage Beyond Saving
Dr DeSilvey’s research presents a bold new approach to heritage conservation that embraces change. The project proposes rethinking the care of certain vulnerable sites in terms of ecology and entropy, and explains how we must adopt an ethical stance that allows us to collaborate with – rather than defend against – natural processes.
Transfiguring the Presentation of Native American Archaeology and Heritage
Prof. Alan Outram’s research relating to the excavation of a prehistoric village at Mitchell, South Dakota, will inform education materials that highlight the Native American contribution to the modern economy of this agriculturally important region of the US. Further outcomes could include positive economic impact on the tourist trade to Mitchell, and aiding better understanding between native and non-native Americans.
FACES: Disfigurement and its visual legacies
Prof. David Jones’s research promotes understanding of the facially injured soldiers of WWI, and explores how their visual legacy has contributed to our comprehension of the implications of disfigurement for social perception and identity construction. The project also addresses a wide range of representations of disfigurement and seeks to produce encounters between viewers and non-normative faces in a range of media and situations.
Heritage at Powderham Castle
Profs. James Clark and Henry French are working with the Earl of Devon at Powderham Castle to reveal previously hidden narratives relating to the Courtenay family and their social, political and economic importance across history. Through the digitisation of rare texts and materials, the project has created a uniquely flexible and diverse range of multimedia resources that enrich the visitor experience.