Augmented Reality, Past - Present - Future: A Digital Humanities Project

Abstract

Digital humanities encompass the systematic study of human experience recording through computing, allowing us to understand the past and actively engage in discussions of how the present shapes our future. In line with this premise, a research project was developed to explore how a collaborative digital humanities project contributes to re-signifying a region's immaterial legacy via utopian minds (historical figures with an idealized vision and who positively contributed to transforming their town) using augmented reality. Following the principles of citizen humanities, the project involved students, teachers, and volunteers in the research process, allowing them to collect and share memories, historical accounts, and aspirations about the place they inhabit. The participants identified utopian places and individuals, playing an active role in constructing the project's narrative. This process led to the design of a prototype of a physical digital circuit through augmented reality. Through digital humanities, previously undocumented records were obtained, examining local history from a utopian perspective, establishing a narrative that transposes time, re-signifying the past, acting on the present and projecting the future.