DDD Testimonials

"The 'Developing Digital Diversity' conference sliced through the whole digital art, design, animation scene like a razor, and revealed exactly where we are, digitally, right now. I don't believe I could have spent 8 hours more fruitfully."

"The DDD conference was brilliant. I met some really interesting people and was inspired in other directions and avenues for my PhD research."

"Thankyou for organising the DDD conference. Since attending I am in touch with and subsequently been collaborating with one of the speakers I met there."

Related Links

> Thames Valley University

> The real digital divide

> Digital collaboration

> WSIS - world summit for the information society

> http://upcoming.org/event/

> http://www.frot.org/

> http://www.ecrea.eu/

In association with:

Our vision

This project was initiated to build on London's diverse population and the reputation of Thames Valley University as a keen advocate for widening participation amongst students. By hosting a conference in London to bring together business, academics, practitioners and learners in the digital field, TVU aims to promote digitally diverse practice and highlight future market trends.

The Developing Digital Diversity project aims to examine and address issues related to:

• Widening participation in the digital arena
• Encouraging marginalised groups to become practitioners, and to think creatively using digital technology
• The dissemination of digital work looked at from political, social, cultural anthropological, practical and pedagogical points of view
• The impact of aesthetic and functional qualities of interfaces on user groups
• Emerging networks of communication creating global communities

Why this project was needed?

The conference aimed to focus more constructively on strategies that are being developed to create rich and diverse uses of online networked media and technologies both in local and global communities around the world.

•  Political - widening access and improving participation in everything digital is a cultural necessity for a more tolerant and inclusive society. Political activists state that the only way to become a participating citizen in democracy now is to be technically literate.

•  Cultural - enrichment and experience - knowledge transfer of ideas. Cultural initiatives and projects that connect different community groups.

•  Social - the democratising influence of wider participation

•  Educational - widening participation - A HEFCE directive

•  Economic - to improve profit for industry by engaging with all groups in society

Conference Schedule

Creative solutions

The conference will focus on initiatives that address issues of multiplicity in media use and access. Innovative projects may focus on a variety of related issues including: 

• Political - widening access and improving participation in everything digital is a cultural necessity for a more tolerant and inclusive society. Political activists state that the only way to become a participating citizen in democracy now is to be technologically literate.
• Cultural - enrichment and experience - knowledge transfer of ideas. Cultural initiatives and projects that connect different community groups.  
• Social - the democratising influence of wider participation
• Educational - widening participation - A HEFCE directive

Focus on industry and future trends

Areas of the conference will focus on speakers from key industry sectors dedicated to creating and promoting products within the digital media area. They will present panels that discuss trends on, amongst other things, the following topics:

Trends within the current economic environment, interface design, product and content creation and development, publishing, marketing, promotion and distribution, profit incentive, expanding target user base.

The Team

Lucie Hernandez is Senior Lecturer in Digital Art and Interactive Design at Thames Valley University. She has been involved in the organization of a number of exhibitions and events. She also planned and put together the 'Emerge' degree show at the Commonwealth Institute, which included a panel discussion between theorists and practitioners on the subject of digital narrative.

Carol MacGillivray was awarded Arts and Humanities Research Board PG award to study an MA in Digital Moving Image in 2000. She is co-author of "3D for the Web" Published by Focal Press/Elsevier. Published UK Nov 2004, US and internationally Dec 2004.  Translated into Russian and Spanish 2005.ISBN: 0 240 51910 8. In 2003 she attended the Barcelona Conference on Teaching and Learning in Art and Design, and in January this year Carol was invited by the British Council as part of a small team recruited to deliver a series of workshops and seminars to provide a catalyst for change in the emerging information, communication and technology industries in Thailand.

Julie Samuels was employed as Conference Organizer in 1995 for Digital Creativity, CADE, Brighton and ArCadeArtists and the Internet exhibition. This was the first Computers in Art and Design Education Conference in the UK.  Since then she has been involved in a variety of seminar organization as well as advertising and marketing campaigns. Julie has recently passed a series of exams in BSL (British Sign Language) and is able to sign should any persons with hearing impairment wish to attend the conference.

Contact us

Developing Digital Diversity
Faculty of the Arts
Thames Valley University
1 The Grove
London
W5 5DX

ddd [at] tvu.ac.uk