I am a heritage researcher and I lecture in Critical and Contextual Studies at the University of Salford.

What meanings do we associate with open space heritage sites? Looking at the ways we understand these spaces using our bodies, our relationships and our memories, my research explores how digital representation may enhance or undermine the meanings we create. I am interested in the varied ways that shared or personal cultural meanings are created and I have research interests in heritage, digital heritage, museums, design, history and culture.

My PhD research is in the field of Heritage Studies and explores digital representation of park heritage, focusing on Towneley Park in Burnley. Using a grounded theory based approach, the aim of my project is to investigate how the process of digital media development affects the interpretation and translation of Towneley’s heritage meanings.

A key aspect of my research is a constructivist approach which attempts to engage with heritage meanings from the point of view of the park users. Combined with methods from phenomenological archaeology, I aim to discover with the participants their rich network of park meanings and associations. As well as exploring the effects of digitally representing this network, I am learning about the nature of the heritage process itself. Using narrative analysis, multimodal analysis and discourse analysis I am exploring open space heritage in terms of spatiality, community, memory, health, authorised discourses and power relations.

On this site you will find my general flailings in the direction of heritage research in the form of research journal entries and some design process for digital heritage. When I am not flailing, I hope to add some of my thoughts on other heritage, art and design issues that I find interesting.

My digital heritage object Digital Towneley is now finalised (insofar as I have now moved on to writing up). Check it out at www.heritagemeanings.com/towneley  any feedback on this will be warmly welcomed.