Reflection: Our Museum Project So Far

So far, we have picked an object from Carleton’s collection, a large pot with intricate swirling designs on it, and taken photos of it. We used these photos to create a textured 3D model of the pot using ReCap photo. Our photos didn’t quite capture the rim at the top of the pot, so the edges are a bit fragmented and messy.

The process of photogrammetry requires that we take close looks at the object to make sure it is as accurate as possible. Once the model is made, it is in a format where anyone can look at it very closely, so it’s important that it looks as close to the real object as it can. Engaging with the object in this way has made me wonder about its history, something that we haven’t looked into much at all yet. I’m curious as to why this pot is painted in such a way and where it would belong when it was being used. Seeing the object on a pedestal doesn’t give you much context—but like we saw in class, a 3D model can be rendered in a larger 3D environment to show what that object might have been used for and how it would exist when it was being used. I’m looking forward to learning about the context around our object, and understanding how it might be have been used.

I’m also curious about how multiple objects can work together in 3D environments to tell stories. Some very educational and interactive digital humanities projects could be made by using the current historical data behind real objects in tandem with photogrammetry and 3D modeling. If there is enough information present about a given place in a given time period, the objects from that time could be modeled and placed into a 3D world that people could explore on their own. I’m guessing that like many other facets of DH, this could become a reality in the next few years.