Discovering Towneley Park : a digital and multimethod approach to understanding the effects of a digital heritage interpretation of a Lancashire park

Focusing on Towneley Park in Lancashire, this research explores the intersection of outdoorpark heritage and digital heritage interpretation. The project aimed to forefront the opinionsof local park users through interviews, field visits and the co-production of a digital heritageobject: Digital Towneley.The project contains four main aspects: (i) exploring the heritage meanings in a park space,(ii) applying a multimethods approach involving co-production, phenomenology andreflexivity, (iii) exploring the impact of a co-produced digital heritage object, and (iv)investigating how digital heritage is affected by socio-cultural discourses around digitalmedia.The thesis explores traditional ideas of heritage as generally informed by historical discourse(Samuel 2012) as well as everyday heritage meanings. These alternative perspectives,identified by Smith (2006) as Authorised versus non-Authorised Heritage Discourses, areseen throughout the participants’ creation and communication of park heritage. The thesisputs forward the case that Authorised Heritage Discourses may be colonised by the livedexperiences of the park users, thereby reinforcing the notion of agency in the heritage visitor.In adopting a phenomenological approach, this research engages with the importance ofspace and place as factors in the creation of park heritage meanings. Through theoriesincluding Foucault’s heterotopia (1986) and Deleuze & Guattari’s rhizome (2013), this thesisworks towards an understanding of park heritage as a trans-temporal and trans-spatialnetwork constructed by people. In addition, the thesis explores the role of the physicalenvironment as part of our cognitive and meaning-making processes.The impact of digital heritage is explored in this project. Firstly, the effectiveness of DigitalTowneley is discussed. This reveals the shortcomings of digital media in terms of embodiedexperience of place, but also demonstrates the potential of digital heritage to constituteauthentic everyday heritage narratives around memory and legacy. Secondly, the thesisevaluates the role of digital heritage production as a means of challenging power structuresat heritage sites.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral (Level 8)

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• McDonagh, A

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1368015

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:salford-repository.worktribe.com:1368015