Review article
https://doi.org/10.31664/zu.2022.110.08
The Role of Digital 3D Models in the Context of Museum Display of Sculpture
Palmira Krleža
; Odsjek za povijest umjetnosti, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and following the Zagreb earthquake, the debate on the proper use of digital technologies in museums became increasingly important and heated. Precisely because they are very popular and increasingly available, digital technologies as a tool require a precise methodological basis for their optimal application. This paper specifically tackles the use of virtual 3D models in a museum context by using examples of sculpture as a specifically three-dimensional art form, and attempts to define the role of a 3D model in relation to the original. As a museum exhibit, sculpture seems to receive little attention compared to other art forms. There are multiple reasons for this, but some of the most important ones are the differences in the production of three-dimensional versus two-dimensional artworks, as well as specific difficulties with exhibiting sculptures. Also, the relative unpopularity of sculpture as a three-dimensional medium, especially among the younger generations, should be attributed to the dominant culture of images, especially virtual ones, which are accessible through the ubiquitous screens of smartphones, tablets and similar electronic devices. Museums around the world, and thus in Croatia as well, have readily embraced the possibilities offered by digital technologies to enrich the experience of their visitors. When exhibiting three-dimensional art forms and objects, they frequently use 3D models of exhibits available in the space of the actual museum or on its websites, complex 3D displays of an entire space, or even computer simulations of the so-called virtual or augmented reality (virtual reality — abbreviated VR, and augmented reality — abbreviated AR), with the aim of reconstructing entire historical spaces in which the viewer is “immersed”, thus becoming a part Still, regardless of the range of possibilities, when designing virtual exhibitions as well as in the general use of 3D models in the museum context, the emphasis must be placed on a clear idea that is conveyed by that exhibition and on clear meta- and para-data that facilitates the communication of its message — focus, therefore, must be on the narrative. This is supported by the results of recent research, which showed that the authentic experience of a 3D model increases if, in addition to the element of interactivity (the possibility of manipulating the model), there is also an element of contextualizing the object as widely as possible. Using Ivo Maroević's categorization of replacement museum objects, we viewed 3D models as museum objects in a digital form, intended for display, which serve as an aid in education, presentation and strengthening the communication and interactive potential of the original object. In order to examine whether 3D models have the same effect on observers as the original objects, we used the concepts of an aura, as defined by Walter Benjamin, and authenticity which, following division, we divided into two categories — nominal and expressive. We also used the results of several studies that examined the experience of 3D models in and out of the museum context. Based on the above reasoning, we came to the conclusion that observers can experience a 3D model as authentic and auratic, but that such experience is predicated upon being in a museum and having enough information that contextualize the object. Finally, it is important to highlight the difference between experiencing a sculpture, as a specific type of artwork, and its 3D model, with regard to its material presence in space. Namely, an encounter with a sculpture is a multisensory experience defined by the awareness of one's own body and the kinetic potential of the sculpture located in the same space. In the case of viewing a 3D model on a screen, this experience is absent. That is why we believe that 3D models and the original sculptures definitely cannot and should not be treated the same way: in the right context, 3D models can evoke an impression of auraticity and authenticity, but they find their best use as substitute museum objects whose primary role is to enrich the museum experience of visitors through strengthening the interpretation possibilities of the original.
Keywords
sculpture; 3D models; original; copy; aura; authenticity; virtual museum; virtual exhibition
Hrčak ID:
294937
URI
Publication date:
1.7.2022.
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