Recreating Historical Materiality through Scientific Simulations of Light and Texture
Coltrain, James
Coltrain, James
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Abstract
Upon first visiting a new city, tourists will often report that it feels different than they had imagined. The combination of perspective, light, texture, sound, and smell, combined with a viewer’s own understanding, gives a place a distinct atmosphere. Scholars interested in studying past places have often been interested in the materiality of objects and spaces, but lacked the means to effectively communicate their discoveries and arguments to readers. Now however, new advances in 3D technology are allowing researchers to simulate the materiality of historical places, not only through the 3D virtual architectural reconstructions already employed by many archaeologists and historians, but by scientifically simulating light and texture. My paper will use examples from my own work as a historian interested in architecture and material culture to show the present and future potential of using computer simulations to understand the materiality of historical spaces.
Scientifically simulating the play of light on a reconstructed historic place may be the most important method for recreating past material spaces. While architectural drawings or even a 3D reconstruction will give us a sense of space, lighting generates meanings about whether a site feels welcoming or intimidating, warm or cold, grand or dingy. Using advancements in software that are now possible on even a single personal computer, it is possible to scientifically simulate the illumination of an interior, mapping the paths and bounces of photons coming from the sun, a lit candle, or even a fluorescent light. These methods can simulate with reliable precision whether the halls cavernous cathedral were brilliant and ethereal or dim and subdued.
Working in concert with calculated light are computer simulations for the textures of a historical space, which can recreate the tangible experience of seeing real architecture and artifacts. With software that can reproduce the sparkle of glass mosaic or the gritty patina of coal dust, simulations can close the gap between imagined understandings of historic spaces and the seemingly innocuous details that communicate the material feel of a place.
Recent advancements are even making possible the realization of architectural materials that have before been too difficult to reconstruct, such as the refraction of light through thick blown glass, the weak shine of a worn potter’s glaze, and even the translucency of a vellum page or a freshly stamped clay tablet.
Description
Digital Humanities Forum: Return to the Material. University of Kansas. September 14, 2013: http://idrh.ku.edu/dhforum2013
James Coltrain is at the University of Nebraska.
Date
2013-09-14
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Digital, Humanities, Digital Humanities, 3D Technology, Virtual Architectural Reconstructions, Light and Texture Simulation, Materiality