byte eyed + fairy taled
The UWinnipeg community participated in a videoconference hosted and sponsored by Brigham Young University (BYU) Humanities Center and Office of Digital Humanities. At the Crossroads of Data and Wonder gathered scholars of fairy tales, folklore, and digital humanities to discuss the intersections of fairy-tale studies with media and technology. UWinnipeg Faculty Dr. Pauline Greenhill (Women’s and Gender Studies) and Dr. Naomi Hamer (English, Cultural Studies); software designers Andrew Blahuta, Girma Jemberu, and Darko Zirdum of UWinnipeg’s Technology Solutions Centre; and student research assistants discussed ongoing projects and future collaborations.
The event offered examples of how digital humanities links computer applications with the study of contemporary and historical texts in fields like literature and history. Showcased projects included Dr. Hamer’s work on children’s picture book apps and digital children’s museums; Dr. Jack Zipes, Dr. Greenhill and Kendra Magnus-Johnston’s International Fairy-Tale Filmography online (iftf.uwinnipeg.ca); and BYU’s Dr. Jill Rudy and Dr. Jarom McDonald’s visualisations of the frequency of specific fairy tales like “Cinderella” in various TV genres like reality television and sitcoms.
“This symposium provided a unique opportunity for members of the UWinnipeg community to share projects such as the International Fairy-Tale Filmography, housed on the UWinnipeg server, and to further discuss how these projects can be a starting point for continued international collaboration across the digital humanities,” explained Dr. Greenhill. “We are very excited to develop more open access online resources and to address emerging ideas regarding video integration and site accessibility.”
This event was part of projects funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. A Partnership Development Grant, titled “Fairy Tale Cultures and Media Today” brings UW researchers and other Canadian scholars with colleagues from India, Netherlands, and United States.
For more information visit International Fairy-Tale Filmography . Additional information about projects at BYU are found at fttv.byu.edu and fairytales.byu.edu.
