Tag: Events

TO at the Spatial Humanities conference 2026

Post author By Web Team
Post date 2 October 2026

Last week, 24th of September, Dr Goldschmidt Kiminami presented a paper co-authored with Professor Harland at the Spatial Humanities Conference 2026, held at the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal. The paper, “Participatory Mapping of Art Deco Architecture through AI-Generated Podcast”, looks at how audio storytelling built with AI tools can help people take part in heritage mapping of Art Deco Loughborough buildings. A project developed with the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group (LLLSVG).

Dr Kiminami is presenting the Mapping Heritage scoping project at the Spatial Humanities Conference 2026, developed with the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group (LLLSVG).

This year’s conference focused on Artificial Intelligence and Geotechnologies for Human Experiences. Its main aim was to explore how geospatial technologies, approaches, and methods can add to knowledge, both within the digital humanities and beyond. We’re pleased to see this work shared with an international audience of researchers working at the meeting point of geography, technology and the humanities.

Tags education, Events, Loughborough University, LU, Mapping Heritage, TO

Blog Events Impact Loughborough Stories Loughborough University Scoping Project The Impact Hub TOWN Observatory

Mapping Heritage Toolkit: officially launched

Post author By Cristina Goldschmidt-Kiminami
Post date 27 July 2026

On Tuesday, 21 July, we launched the Mapping Heritage Toolkit with an online workshop that drew interest from 100 participants from more than 10 countries.

The toolkit is for anyone who loves local history, leads a community group, or wants to explore how maps and storytelling come together. It guides users through 12 simple steps to co-creating a story map.

It’s the culmination of 18 months work between Loughborough University researchers based in the School of Design and Creative Arts, and the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group.

We were joined by guest contributors Dr Firat Batmaz and Dr Sara Saravi from the Centre for AI in Education, Department of Computer Science at Loughborough University, who added valuable insight to the session about ethics and generative AI.

Sharon Gray and David Kirkby, representing the volunteer group, also contributed with their experience and perspectives on being part of the project.

The toolkit is now live! Click on the image below to download it.

Watch the workshop recording immediately below.

The toolkit and the three supporting leaflets that informed its development (see below) were posted to participants who requested them through our feedback survey.

To download the supporting leaflets, follow these links:

1. Medieval Loughborough

2. Art Deco Loughborough

3. Market Place Loughborough

Organising team

Tags education, Events, Heritage, Impact Hub, Loughborough University, LU, Mapping Heritage, TIH, TO

Blog Events Scoping Project The Impact Hub TOWN Observatory

Graphic heritage and cultural mapping: an anti-disciplinary perspective

Post author By Web Team
Post date 22 May 2026

*Photo of the hybrid presentation, Dr Robert Harland presenting online from the UK and Dr Cristina Kiminami presenting in person.*

On 19 May, the Federal University of Pelotas in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil hosted a presentation titled “Graphic Heritage and Cultural Mapping: an Anti-Disciplinary Perspective,” delivered by Dr Robert Harland and Dr Cristina A. G. Kiminami. Organised by the Specialisation Course in Digital Graphics and the Prograu Postgraduate Program in Architecture and Urbanism, the event attracted approximately 50 attendees.

The presentation provided new perspectives on the intersections of graphic heritage and cultural mapping, highlighting the significance of anti-disciplinary approaches in examining these topics. Dr. Harland and Dr. Kiminami facilitated active discussions and promoted the exchange of ideas, contributing to a productive session. They supported their argument by sharing an interpretation of anti-discplinary as:

Good scholarship must involve a tension between ‘discipline’ and ‘anti-discipline’ therefore. My starting point is that one of the most fruitfulways of maintaining this tension is through deep immersion in a discipline, combined with theconstant subjecting of knowledge deriving fromthe discipline to that developed in others (Harriss, 2002).

Participants commended the event for its innovative approach and the opportunity to engage with experts in the field. The presentation was considered successful and demonstrated the TOWN Observatory’s commitment to promoting dialogue and collaboration in digital graphics, heritage studies, and urbanism.

Acknowledgements: with thanks to Dr Tássia Vasconselos, lecturer in Architecture and Urbanism and coordinator of the Specialisation Course in Digital Graphics.

Harriss, J. (2002) ‘The case for cross-disciplinary approaches in international development’, World Development, 30(3), pp. 487–496.

Tags Events, Heritage, Mapping Heritage, TO

Blog Events Loughborough Stories Scoping Project TOWN Observatory

Storytelling with Maps webinar

Post author By Web Team
Post date 19 March 2026

On 18th March, 2026, the Living Knowledge Network – British Library hosted Dr. Cristina Kiminami and Dr. Robert Harland from Loughborough University, who presented their Heritage Mapping project. In collaboration with the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group (LLLSVG), the project explored the potential for using the ArcGIS StoryMaps digital platform to combine stories, interactive maps, videos, photos and local history in an engaging experience that makes history easy and accessible for all.

Images from the webinar, from left to right: (1) Dr Robert Harland introduces the creation of the Medieval Loughborough project; (2) Dr Cristina A. G. Kiminami explains how the collaboration worked, (3) David Kirkby (right) from LLLSVG answering questions from the audience from the volunteer group’s perspective.

This relationship shows how local history and archives can reach more people through open dialogue, co-creation and the development of digital literacy. The webinar shared valuable ideas for local studies librarians, archivists, volunteers and anyone interested in urban heritage, revealing how storytelling and community involvement can bring history to life when universities and local community groups work together.

Watch the full recording of the presentation here.

Acknowledgements: with thanks to Krisztina Lackoi and Zuzzanna Needham for the wonderful opportunity and to David Kirkby for representing the amazing LLLSVG team.

Tags Events, Heritage, Loughborough University, LU, Mapping Heritage, TO

Blog Loughborough Stories TOWN Observatory

StoryMaps Workshop with the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group

Post author By Web Team
Post date 19 February 2026

*The photo above shows the participants and Dr Cristina G Kiminami during the StoryMaps workshop*.

This morning at Loughborough University, the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group (LLLSVG) took part in a hands-on workshop led by Dr Cristina G. Kiminami, with assistance from Pegah Aftabi. The session focused on ArcGIS StoryMaps, a digital platform for making interactive, map-based stories.

The LLLSVG and the TOWN Observatory have worked closely together since January 2025, with excellent results. The recent StoryMaps workshop was part of ongoing activity to support the volunteers to develop new digital skills.

Above: (1) & (2) Everyone enjoyed some very welcome refreshments before the workshop; (3) (4) (5) Participants each worked on their StoriesMaps with Dr Cristina G. Kiminami providing guidance and support throughout the session.

The group learned the basics of the ArcGIS StoryMaps platform and how it can be used to share Loughborough’s history in interesting new ways. They each learned how to upload images, videos and audio, and how to create stories about the local area. Everyone was enthusiastic and keen to see what digital storytelling can do.

Learning how to use StoryMaps gives the Local Studies volunteers a new set of skills for sharing their historical research with the public, ensuring Loughborough’s heritage stories are preserved and go on to be re-shared into the future.

The workshop was another great example of the successful partnership between the TOWN Observatory and the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group. Further drop-in sessions with the group are scheduled to happen soon!

Above: (1) & (2) LLLSVG and TOWN Observatory members who participated in the ArcGIS StoryMaps workshop.

Tags Events, Heritage, Loughborough University, Mapping Heritage, TO

Blog TOWN Observatory

Talk about TOWN

Post author By Robert Harland
Post date 17 January 2026

This Loughborough Urban Heritage Doctoral Colloquium brought together four doctoral researchers from Loughborough University’s School of Design and Creative Arts to share their insights into urban heritage. Their research topics are outlined as follows.

Pegah Aftabi (Year three) · ‘Urban heritage’ is a concept used across a variety of fields; yet it extends far beyond expert-defined, monument-centric structures. Urban heritage is a present-centred, continuously evolving phenomenon defined by everyday interactions between communities and their environments. My research adopts a participatory methodology to study urban heritage from the local communities’ perspective in Loughborough. The project ultimately aims to create a digital map of community-centred heritage, not only to preserve heritage but to empower communities to understand their role in, and take greater responsibility for, its preservation.

Greta Chen (Year two) · My research investigates how locative narratives can be co-created to support the understanding, representation and constitution of everyday heritage. Focusing on Loughborough Market as a pilot site, I designed and deployed cultural probes to collect narratives rooted in lived experiences conveying cultural-heritage significance. Analysis identified four themes: spatiality, temporality, sensoriality and social context, which inform a narrative framework for the next stage: an AI-assisted co-design process for locative media and a distributed and inclusive heritage experience in everyday environments to foster community connection.

Sheida Yazdan Joo (Year one) · Leicester’s urban heritage is shaped by migration, cultural diversity and its representation through visual media. My research examines how film and photography construct narratives of the city, drawing on archival materials and contemporary practices. Through analysing the visual contributions of immigrant communities, the study highlights the role of imagery in placemaking, collective memory and the interpretation of Leicester’s evolving cultural landscape. It aims to situate these representations within broader debates on urban identity and heritage.

Alison Mott (Year one) · My practice-based research explores how participatory and co-creative storytelling activities centred on a town’s industrial textile heritage can bring to light overlooked experiences, strengthen the historical record and foster an individual and collective sense of wellbeing. Through oral history collection, creative-writing activities and intergenerational workshops involving older residents and university textile-design students, I examine how personal narratives can be elicited and shared, generating new forms of heritage knowledge and reshaping perceptions of place and the built environment.

Programme

12:00 Arrive

12:10 Welcome

12:15 TOWN Observatory overview

Speakers

12:30 Pegah Aftabi – The local community perspective

12:45 Greta Chen – Everyday heritage

13:00 Alison Mott – Industrial textile heritage

13:15 Sheida Yazdan Joo – Migration and cultural diversity

13:30 Discussion

13:45 End