http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSv9DwGmNfc
Carleton University students and researchers are working on innovative projects involving interactive technologies applied to public areas around Ottawa, including Confederation and Landsdowne parks. Carleton’s Hyperlab, a digital humanities research centre, has made projects like these possible.
The lab’s most recent project involves an exploration of Lansdowne, past, present and future. This historical landmark, which shaped the social and cultural life of early Ottawa, is undergoing a dramatic redevelopment. Lab researchers are planning to create a mobile app that enables visitors to explore the park’s rich history and re-imagine its future as a public space.
It’s just the latest in a long line of interactive projects that give students hands-on experience.
“Hyperlab students have already developed locative games for education, critical tourism and heritage conservation that use real city spaces as a platform,” said Brian Greenspan, the Hyperlab’s founding director. “A stroll through Confederation Park becomes a quest for historical artifacts from early Bytown, the Arboretum is transformed into a literary haunted house, and Carleton’s campus becomes a dystopian zone populated by student zombies. Players navigate the city and game space simultaneously, searching for the right path while avoiding both real and virtual obstacles.”
