There are some places available for this all-day seminar taking place at Goldsmith’s College on 7 March.
For further details, or to register, visit http://www.methodsnetwork.ac.uk/activities/workshops.html or email neil.grindley@kcl.ac.uk.
THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO VIRTUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF PAST ENVIRONMENTS
A seminar run by Kate Devlin, Goldsmiths College, University of London (7 March 2007)
Computer graphics have become a popular way of interpreting past environments, for educational and entertainment value, and also as an aid to research, but they are not subject to the same scrutiny that text invites. Without supporting data to indicate the motivations for particular representations of data, the images may merely be one subjective picture of the past.
Something that proves particularly difficult when creating 3D computer-generated representations of past environments is how to provide context of an intangible nature, such as a social, temporal or even emotional interaction with the representation. For example, many representations are sterile, empty spaces, devoid of the people who would have built and used them. We need to look at ways that allow us to convey the information outside of the physical structure of a scene.
This seminar will address the issues above and other questions including:
- Why are virtual representations being created and are they really being used?
- How do we reconcile the work of computer scientists with the work of archaeologists?
- How do we introduce non-visual and intangible elements to our representations?
