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Promoting a More Interactive Public Archaeology

Archaeological Visualization and Reflexivity through Virtual Artifact Curation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 January 2017

Bernard K. Means
Bernard K. Means*
Affiliation:
Virtual Curation Laboratory, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, (bkmeans@vcu.edu)
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Abstract

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Stewards of the tangible past are increasingly embracing technologies that enable digital preservation of rare and fragile finds. The Virtual Curation Laboratory (VCL) at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) partners with museums, cultural heritage locations, and collections repositories to create three-dimensional (3D) digital models of artifacts from archaeological sites distributed across the globe. In the VCL, undergraduate VCU students bring a fresh perspective unburdened by archaeological orthodoxy as they use a laser scanner to record artifact details, edit the resulting digital models, and print plastic replicas that are painted to resemble the original items. The 3D digital models and printed replicas allow for new ways of visualizing the past, while preserving the actual artifacts themselves. These forms of archaeological visualization enable the broader public and not just a narrow band of researchers to dynamically and meaningfully interact with rare and fragile objects in ways that would otherwise not be possible, empowering their own contributions to interpreting, understanding, and reimagining the past. We must embrace co-creation through virtual artifact curation and recognize that, while we sacrifice some control over the stories that are told about the past, more stories will be told and shared as pieces of the past become more accessible.

Los administradores responsables de la preservación del pasado tangible están adoptando con mayor frecuencia tecnologías que permiten la preservación digital de hallazgos frágiles y excepcionales. El Virtual Curation Laboratory (LCV), de la Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) colabora con museos, lugares patrimoniales y repositorios de colecciones para crear modelos digitales tridimensionales (3D) de artefactos provenientes de yacimientos arqueológicos distribuidos por todo el mundo. En el LCV, los estudiantes de licenciatura de la VCU introducen una nueva perspectiva sin la carga de la ortodoxia arqueológica, ya que utilizan un escáner láser para registrar los artefactos a detalle, editan los modelos digitales resultantes e imprimen réplicas de plástico, que a menudo se pintan para simular a los originales. Los modelos digitales tridimensionales y las réplicas impresas permiten visualizar el pasado de manera novedosa, al mismo tiempo que se preservan los propios artefactos originales. Estas formas de visualización arqueológica permiten al público y no sólo a un número reducido de investigadores interactuar de forma dinámica y significativa con los objetos frágiles y excepcionales, que de otra manera no sería posible, otorgándoles el poder de contribuir a la interpretación, comprensión e imaginación del pasado. Debemos aceptar la creación en colaboración (co-creación) a través de la curaduría virtual de artefactos y reconocer que, si bien sacrificamos parte del control sobre las historias que se cuentan sobre el pasado, más historias serán contadas y compartidas, haciendo más accesibles las obras del pasado.

Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 3 , Issue 3: Special Issue: Co-Creation , August 2015 , pp. 235 - 248
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2015

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