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MUSE MAGAZINE
Bringing Heritage Back to Life BY MADDI ANDREWS
“Despite their relentless crimes, extremists will never be able to erase history, nor silence the memory of this site that embodies the unity and identity of the Syrian people.” – Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova
Our world is becoming increasingly digital. This fact has become even clearer amidst the global pandemic, where we attend meetings, classes, and appointments entirely online. It is no surprise that digital tools are being used globally to preserve our cultural heritage sites. There have been advances in three-dimensional modelling and printing that present new opportunities for cultural heritage preservation, both in the virtual and physical world. Today, many technologies offer unique possibilities to reconstruct heritage sites accurately. Some efforts to document heritage sites utilize drones with laser scanners, which are able to quickly scan vast expanses of land. Afterwards, researchers transform the collected data into dynamic and life-like three-dimensional models. Iconem, a French startup founded in 2013, has popularized this type of work. Their team travels the globe, digitizing vulnerable heritage sites, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia, to ensure they are protected for future generations. Alternatively,photogrammetry is an exciting new technology used for modelling.This technique requires high-resolution photographs of a monument, with significant overlaps between each image from every angle possible.
10
JAN 2021 - APRIL 2021
