Virginia Woolf's first novel, The Voyage Out, is hailed as a highly adventurous and audacious work in the English language. Penned in the early 20th century, it follows the captivating journey of a young female pianist, as she embarks on a cruise from the ordinary realm of London to the enchanting landscapes of South America. For me, joining the digital research services (DRS) team mirrors the exhilaration of embarking on a 'voyage out'—a departure from the traditional realm of literary 'close reading' into an expansive empire of new digital skills that are not commonly associated with literary studies. Like an curious voyager peering into uncharted horizons, I now find myself on the brink of expanding the very fabric of my research through the integration of digital methodologies.
I joined the DRS team as a researcher in residence just after I completed my PhD in comparative literature. My doctoral project focuses on the literary depiction of piano performance, which is not inherently ‘digital’ or data-centred. However, I gradually developed an awareness of digital research skills throughout various stages of my research. During the compilation of a corpus of novels centered around piano playing, I needed to retrieve web content from existing databases and set specific parameters for the retrieval process. Additionally, as part of my comparatist approach, analysing music scores played a significant role, involving the identification of spatial or structural patterns in music notations that corresponded to the descriptions in the novels.
Furthermore, throughout my PhD journey, I undertook several part-time research roles where I acquired practical knowledge in data mining, analysis, and visualization. Although I managed to navigate these tasks through trial and error, I realized the value of the abundant resources available at DRS. If I had been introduced to the versatile 'characters' within the ‘DRS empire’ earlier, such as the high performance computing cluster Eddie for big data analysis; the virtual server creator Eleanor for flexible computer configurations, and the comprehensive tools and services from the Digital Research Toolkit, my research process would have been significantly smoother and more efficient.
Since joining the DRS team, my familiarity with the wide range of tools and services offered by DRS has significantly increased. As a researcher in residence, my primary focus will be on developing customized teaching materials in digital humanities specifically tailored for Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences disciplines. To enhance our existing suite of courses like the CAHSS Digital Research Services Introduction, I will conduct a thorough scoping exercise, exploring best practices implemented by global institutions. This research will allow me to identify strategies for improving our current offerings and designing new content. Collaborating closely with the DRS team, we will channel our creative ideas into planning a series of engaging outreach events that are open to anyone interested in digital research. These events will serve as platforms for knowledge-sharing and fostering a vibrant community of digital researchers. Additionally, I will further develop my ongoing project centered around opera and digitally mediated theatre. Leveraging the potential of data-driven technologies, I aim to propose a new participatory and interactive model that caters to a wider audience, bringing forth an inclusive approach to contemporary opera.
As I anticipate the vast possibilities for future research that arise from acquiring new digital skills, my goal is to assist the research community in navigating their digital research journey. By enhancing the accessibility of DRS resources, I am committed to ensuring that these valuable tools and services are readily available to a broader audience, empowering researchers to make meaningful contributions in the digital realm. In my current position, I eagerly anticipate embarking on a thrilling "digital odyssey" alongside the exceptional DRS team members, Eleni, Andre, Sarah J., and Sarah V. Together, our team will navigate the vast frontiers of digital exploration, diligently seeking out valuable resources to support the research community.
By Alexandra Huang-Kokina, Researcher in Residence