Earlier this year, several of our academic colleagues from across the arts, humanities and social sciences visited Proto in Gateshead to explore how innovative digital technologies can enhance their research activities.
Proto is the first digital production facility of its kind in Europe offering virtual production, 3D scanning, motion capture and sound recording. It's part of Digital Catapult who work nationally with a range of organisations – including startups, established businesses, investors, government, public sector, research and academia – to discover innovative ways of solving industry challenges through technology.
Visit at Proto in Gateshead
The day began with demonstrations of the digital capabilities at Proto. This was followed by a workshop in which academics were able to consider how the technology could be used within their research, and how it might alter the questions they asked of their research.
The event was organised by our Research and Innovation Services (RIS).
Dialogue spoke to Rachael Barnwell, Senior Impact and Engagement Manager in RIS to find out more about Artificial Intelligence in Arts and Humanities.
Here is what Rachael told us…
The advent of Artificial Intelligence and the fast-paced growth of digital technologies are the frontiers of knowledge and understanding in our age. Arts and Humanities researchers have long worked at such frontiers, from medieval scriptoria where early books were made, to the age of the printing press and the internet that made more information available to more people than ever before.
“Many academics within the Arts and Humanities Faculty are already using Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies in creative and sometimes surprising ways to help grapple with some of the critical challenges of our time. AI and digital technologies offer new research methods and insights and raise new and important questions about science, culture, and society that Arts and Humanities scholars are uniquely placed to tackle. These technologies also fundamentally change the way our students learn and engage with subjects like History and English, and the opportunities available to them when they graduate.
“In organising our visit to Proto, which followed on from a sharing session with academic and technical staff, we wanted to showcase the opportunities that AI and cutting-edge digital technologies can bring to research and education. We also wanted to highlight the impact this research has on industry, the economy and wider society.
“The North East has a vibrant and dynamic tech sector and we're fortunate to have incredible facilities like Proto in the region who see the possibilities that partnership working can bring now and for the future."
We also spoke to Dr Alistair Brown, Assistant Professor in Digital Humanities and Modern Literature, who has worked with Proto on two different projects using their cutting-edge facilities.
Alistair said:
When working in digital humanities or adjacent fields, it can be all too tempting to think that new research ideas and collaborations can be spawned simply through digital channels: reaching out on social media, following the tech news, keeping abreast of listservs.
“But there’s nothing quite like seeing an enormous 8m x 3.5m curved LED screen and virtual production studio in-person to make you realise new possibilities. This was the heart of our tour of Proto in Gateshead, where we learned about the many resources available, from the VP screen and sound stage to 360 photogrammetry to mocap (motion capture) to most of the VR headsets currently on the market.
Trying the VR headset at Proto in Gateshead
“As someone who works across Virtual Reality and video games, I already knew how some of these technologies combine together. However, seeing them under one roof and meeting the Proto team who could make the kit work seamlessly was important to give me the confidence to explore new concepts.
“Since our visit, I have worked with Proto on two different proposals, each using Proto’s incredible facilities. The first would use Proto’s VR headsets to bring Shakespearean drama to life for school pupils, with 360-degree recordings. I am also working on a project with Elysium Theatre Company, and led by Professor Charles Fernyhough, with the aim of performing August Strindberg’s A Dream Play. The 1907 text is so avant-garde it is near-impossible to produce as Strindberg idealised, except now through large-scale visuals designed in game engines and rendered on Proto’s LED wall.
“Both of these are examples of how digital technologies can transform the humanities for the present. Shakespeare’s or Strindberg’s plays are classics of the European canon, and while they rightly continue to be studied and celebrated in their own right, they may not intuitively appeal to new (and especially younger) audiences raised on video games and other immersive experiences. Technologies like VR or virtual production make our literature live again by enabling people to see the brilliant strangeness of words in ways that make experiential sense. They get better access, understanding and pleasure. We show that literature is not some dead discipline but part of our digital future.”
Interested to learn more about how AI and digital technologies are being used within our research projects? Take a look at our Digital Humanities - Durham University webpages to find out more.