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Staff Profile

Professor Areti Galani

Deputy Head of School of Arts and Cultures

Background

 

I research and teach in the area of Digital Cultural Heritage and Digital Cultural Communication; I am interested in the theoretical and practice-based exploration of digital technologies to enhance museum and heritage experiences, on-site and online.

In my work I use people-centred methodologies, design approaches and creative practice to explore different heritage practices in institutions, communities and by individuals. I also draw on theoretical ideas from media and communication studies, cultural studies and critical heritage to discuss the role of cultural institutions in digital societies.

Before I joined Newcastle University, I was a Research Associate in Digital Heritage in the University of Leicester and a visitor researcher in the Mixed Reality Lab at the University of Nottingham. In Greece, I worked as an assistant curator in the Athens University Historical Museum and as exhibition project manager in the Pierides Art Gallery.


Current roles and responsibilities

Deputy Head of School of Arts and Cultures

Co-convener of the Cultures of Memory research group

Steering Group Member of the Newcastle University's Institute for Creative Arts Practice, Humanities Research Institute and the Centre for Heritage.

Managing Editor, Museum & Society

 

Prior Academic Roles and Responsibilities:

Degree Programme Director (DPD) in MA Programmes in Museum, Gallery and Heritage Studies (2020-23)

Director of Postgraduate Research Studies, School of Arts and Cultures (2016-19)

Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnership (AHRC) - Scholarships Coordinator for Cultural & Museum Studies (2014-17)

Northern Bridge Doctoral Training Partnership (AHRC) - Partners Forum (2016-18) 

Principle Editor and Technical Manager for the e-learning MA in Heritage Management and Tourism (2014-15)

Head of Postgraduate Research Studies, ICCHS and MCH (2010-16)

Postgraduate Research Admissions Tutor, ICCHS (2010-17)

Senior Tutor, ICCHS (2014-15)

Chair of Board of Examiners, ICCHS (2006-09)

Steering Group Member of the Newcastle University's Methods Hub (2020-21)


External Examining

External Examiner, MSc in Heritage Studies, University of Stirling

External Examiner, MSc in Museum Studies, HATII, University of Glasgow (2012-16)

 

Qualifications

PhD in Computing Science (University of Glasgow)

MA in Museum Studies (University of Leicester)

Degree in Greek Literature (University of Athens, Greece)

Research

Recent and current research 

Futuring Dialogic Cultural Heritage

I currently collaborate with a team in Victoria University Wellington on an exploratory project that considers future forms of dialogue and dialogic practices in GLAMs in the context of a distributed (physical, digital, hybrid) public sphere. Among other things, we will run a participaroty futuring workshop with GLAM practitioners and researchers in New Zealand to collectively re-imagine the relationship between dialogic museum practices and digital technologies.

COHERE

From 2016-2019 I was a Co-I in the Horizon2020 CoHERE project, which looked at how European heritages are valorised within current socio-political and cultural contexts and their potential for developing communitarian identities. I co-led (with CIID - Copenhagen Institute of Interactive Design) WP4, which explored through theoretical, empirical and design practice-driven approaches how different forms of digitally mediated dialogue(s) about, through and with heritage can support, enable, hinder and challenge both the imaginaries and the construction of European identitie(s).

We explored how serendipitous visual dialogues about and around heritage emerge through the analysis of user generated geotagged images of European historic squares on flickr.

We designed and ran with CIID in a series of participatory heritage futurescaping workshops (summary video):  

  • Future Erasure, Leiden, 2018
  • Exploring the notion of 'Borders' through dialogic digital design methods, Hangzhou, 2018
  • Futurescaping methods for museum and heritage professionals, Newcastle, 2019

We also supported CIID on the design and study of novel dialogic experiences:  

Research reports and audio-visual documentation from this WP is available on CoHERE’s critical archive. 


Research Interests

My research and expertise are in the use of digital media in museums, galleries and the heritage sector, and especially the design, study and understanding of digital applications for the purpose of interpretation, learning, and exhibition design.

Futuring approaches in heritage practices

I am interested in the idea of digital imagination and how we can use speculative approaches critically to think about future museum and heritage practices in digital societies. I am particularly interested in how we can design a more sustainable participatory futuring practice in cultural institution and how critical participatory futuring can open up decision making in digital heritage work to a bigger set of stakeholders.

Design of digital media interventions in cultural contexts 

Throughout my academic career I have explored museum and heritage experiences by designing and developing mobile, ubiquitous and augmented reality interactive installations. As part of my PhD (funded by the Equator IRC), I studied social visiting in a mixed reality environment in The Lighthouse, Glasgow. I have also led the participatory design and development of three web apps for three Rock Art sites in Rural Northumberland (2011) and two sensor-based augmented reality (AR) interactive installations in Seven Stories (2010) and Discovery Museum (2016) in Newcastle, UK.

Social media and museum/heritage participation

I have an ongoing interest in the role of social media and participatory platforms in shaping people’s capacity and motivations to engage with cultural content. I have carried out research on museum participatory practices and user-generated photography and I led, with Chiara Bonacchi, an extensive survey among Facebook fans of cultural institutions in the North East.

People-centred research methodologies in digital cultural heritage

I use research methodologies that allow me to understand people’s experience either as part of a design or an evaluation process. My design research always takes place ‘in the wild’. My approach is informed by the ethnographic and ethnomethodological traditions. I use a variety of methods such as culture probes, role playing and mind-mapping alongside more traditional ethnographic methods such as observations, video recordings, interviews and focus groups.


Postgraduate Research Supervision

I am delighted to supervise Daisy-Alys Vaughan, Samantha Vaughn, Danae Peguero Bueno and Dan Foster-Smith.  

Previous research students who have now graduated: Nikki Spalding, Kat Lloyd, Rachel Clarke, Anna Goulding, Bronwen Colquhoun, Gabi Arrigoni, Bethany Rex, Rebecca Farley, Brian Moss and David Farrell-Banks.

I am interested in supervising PhD candidates working in the following areas, including creative-practice based research:

  • Digital/online/hybrid technologies in museum/gallery/heritage settings
  • Social media and its implications for the cultural sector
  • Design and use of mobile, personal, ubiquitous technologies in cultural settings
  • Digitally mediated memory
  • Theory and practice of Visitor Studies, especially study and understanding of social museum experiences


Projects and Funding

  • Futuring Dialogic Cultural Heritage, Victoria University Wellington Strategic Research Fund, 2023-25, Co-I (NZ $49,995)
  • Restorying the Forest: exploring future pasts of an ancient woodland, Institute for Creative Arts Practice Pioneer Award, 2021-22, PI (£1000). Cultural partner: Stomping Ground Forest School and Wild Museum 
  • CoHERE - Critical Heritages: Performing and representing identities in Europe, EC Horizon 2020, 2016-19, Co-I (c. 2,5M Euro)
  • Deep Learning for the Classification & Clustering of Museum Collections, Creative Fuse NE, Innovation Pilot Grant, 2018, Co-I (£4,500); Industry partner: Intogral Limited
  • Broomfield Goes Digital, AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership Scheme, 2016-2019, PI (£68K); Partner: Victoria and Albert Museum
  • Digital Designs for Museum Dialogue[s], NICAP, 2015, PI (c. £5K); with Discovery Museum, TWAM
  • Methodological investigations in capturing the impact of museum activities on older men, living with mental illness, NISR, 2015, PI (c. £5K); with Beamish Museum and Occupational Therapy, Mental Health Services for Older People (TEWV), Derwent Clinic 
  • ‘Who do we think we are?’ Exploring identity, place and belonging in the North East at the Discovery Museum, Newcastle, NICAP, Co-Investigator (c. £5K); with Discovery Museum, TWAM
  • Active Ageing and Heritage in Adult learning, EC Erasmus , 2014-17, Co-investigator (c. €290K)
  • Research for Community Heritage, Phase 2, AHRC, 2013-14, Co-Investigator (c. £60K) 
  • Engaged Culturally? A people-centred approach to understanding cultural social media activities. AHRC Cultural Engagement Fund, 2013, PI (£11K); with Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums
  • Rock Art Mobile Project, AHRC, 2010-11, Co-Investigator (£149K) 
  • Holding memories: Memory, Objects, Museums and Older People workshop series, Newcastle University Changing Age Programme, 2010-11, Joint-Principal Investigator (£4k)
  • Digital media in the Heart of the City, commissioned report, Newcastle City Council, 2010-11 (£3,5K)
  • Collaborative Innovation Partnership, One NorthEast, 2009, PI (£20K); with Seven Stories: Centre for children’s books 
  • Collaborative Innovation Partnership, One NorthEast, 2009, Co-I (£20K); with The Great North Museum: Hancock, TWAM
  • ‘Chiptune Marching Band’ series of workshops, 2009, Researcher – delivered in Maker Faire 2009, Newcastle upon Tyne; Pixelache 2009, Helsinki; Bent Festival 2009, New York; SPACE, 2009 London; and Creativity & Cognition 2009, Berkeley, CA.
  • The Digital Heritage Research Training Initiative, AHRC Collaborative Research Training Scheme, 2008-10, Co-I (£52K) 
  • Creative Digital Media Research Practice: Production through Exhibition, AHRC Collaborative Research Training Scheme, 2008-10, Co-I (c. £10K)
  • Campus Tales project in collaboration with Zelda Baveystock. Catherine Cookson Trust, 2007-08 (c. £3,5K) 


Current and recent reviewing roles

  • AHRC, UKRI (reviewer, panel member and chair)
  • Invited Expert Assessor, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT) - Media Studies Panel. 
  • Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
  • Regular peer reviewer for heritage journals (e.g. International Journal of Heritage Studies, Museum & Society)
  • Occasional peer reviewer for ACM conference publications on Human Computer Interaction (CHI, DIS)
Teaching

In 2023-24 I lead or contribute sessions in the following modules:

  • MCH8169: Digital Communication for Cultural Institutions and Organisations - module leader  
  • MCH8610: Working with Collections, Communities and Archives - module co-leader  
  • MCH8501: Museums, Galleries and Heritage in Society - session leader
  • MCH8503: Understanding Objects, Collections and Stories - session leader
  • MCH2090: Expanding Digital Cultures - session leader  
  • I teach and supervise MA dissertations in Museum Studies, Global Heritage Management, Curating Art, and Media and Journalism
  • I also supervise UG dissertations in Media, Communication and Cultural Studies.

    

Innovative teaching practice 

Reflective writing and practice are a central component of our approach to teaching and learning. In 2021-22 I led an experimental co-deign project with a group of students and academic staff from Museum, Gallery and Heritage studies to create a workbook and poster for students and early career cultural practitioners to practice reflection. The workbook contains tools and prompts to support reflection in different situations. It was designed in three intensive co-design workshops by Museum/Gallery/Heritage students and staff at Newcastle University with contributions from sector specialists.

This project was funded by Newcastle University's Education Development Fund.

The 'Practising Reflection' workbook and poster are released under CC licence and can be downloaded for free from: https://blogs.ncl.ac.uk/mghfutures/practising-reflection/ 


Past teaching and coordination of curatorial student projects 

I was the module leader for the Interpretation and Exhibitions module (2006-2016), in which students developed a variety of public museum displays and online interpretation projects in collaboration with a variety of cultural partners in Newcastle. In 2012 - 2016 these projects took place in the Great North Museum: Hancock. A number of online student projects for this module are still available to see:

  • The Hancocks: Scientists in the Studio (2012-13). As part of the interpretation the team developed an exhibition blog and used Twitter to bring John and Albany Hancock to life. 
  • Hide and Seek! It's more than just a game, it's how animals survive! (2013-14). As part of the interpretation the team developed an exhibition blog.
  • From Shells to Shields: The Natural World and its Influence on Human Defence (2014-15). As part of the interpretation the team developed a series of creative writing stories and illustrations available on the exhibition blog.  
Publications