I chose to investigate the Virtual Angkor digital heritage project. The project provides a 3D virtual reality experience of Angkor Wat, a complex Cambodian metropolis that peaked during the Khmer Empire’s reign around 1300 C.E.
The Black Box
Miriam Posner claims that every digital humanities project can be broken down into three distinct parts: the sources a project references, the processes the project uses to analyze its sources, and how the project chooses to present its findings to the viewer.
Sources
The Virtual Angkor project used five main sources during the creation of their digital heritage project. They are listed below. In addition to these sources, the project also drew on architectural surveys, botanical research, textile studies, and ethnomusicology work.
- Sanskrit and Old Khmer stone inscriptions
- French accounts of 19th century Cambodia through early sketches and photographs of the area and environment
- Angkorian bas-relief sculpture art
- The eyewitness account of Zhou Daguan, a Chinese official that was sent to Angkor Wat in 1296 by the Temur Empire
- Airborne surveys and detailed mapping of the civilization carried out by the French School of the Far East and Greater Angkor Project
Process
The Virtual Angkor team began to process the cultural and environmental data they found about the area by creating a 3D model of an elephant, one of the most prominent animals and icons in Angkorian art. From there, they moved on to more extensive 3D modeling, including 3D anatomy of people and their ornaments, attire, objects, and vehicles. The team also made digital scans of artifacts from the Angkor Wat region and incorporated those into their 3D landscape. Finally, in 2014, the project moved all of its individual components onto a platform called Unity in order to bring its animations to life with dynamic and realistic behavior. The team also invested in LiDAR and GIS mapping technology to bring their virtual world to life.
Presentation
The Virtual Angkor project presents its work in a few different formats. To begin, it offers short, sensory, experiential videos of the virtual landscape accompanied by historically and regionally accurate sounds to immerse the viewer in the Ankgor Wat environment. Some videos even offer 360 degree rotating views of the scene. The project also provides an interactive, navigable virtual map to absorb the civilization at large. Leaning into the idea of presenting “a day in the life of a citizen of Angkor Wat,” the project also presents a simulation of a 24-hour cycle at the site, displaying the complex’s daily operations. In addition to this simulation, the project can also be experienced through a virtual reality headset. Lastly, the project places a large emphasis on education and classroom presence. There are three different themed educational modules that the project offers: Power and Place, Water and Climate, and Trade and Diplomacy.
What I’m Thinking About…
After exploring Virtual Angkor, I’m left wondering a few things. Will experiential learning tools like the Virtual Angkor project ever be able to fully replace textbook education? How much of the creation of the virtual landscape was designed by hand and how much was reproduced and repeated by a computer? Why might teachers be excited to fully replace traditional learning with digital tools like Virtual Angkor and why might they be hesitant?
In Class Discussion Questions
Who made the website? What are their relationships to the institution?
The website was made by a group of archaeologists, historians, and virtual history experts from Australia, Cambodia, and the United States. They all worked on the manifestation of Virtual Angkor as an immersive cultural experience. Additionally, the project is partners with Dr. Cindy A. Nguyen from Brown University, who uses the platform for their teaching on International Humanities.
Which academic fields do you see the project in conversation with?
I see the Virtual Angkor project in conversation with a variety of fields. The most obvious field is history, but there are also clear connections to sociology, anthropology, artificial intelligence, and human-computer interaction. In general, I think this project is an explicit example of a digital humanities project that bridges the humanities and technology.
4 thoughts on “[Lab #2] Reverse Engineering Virtual Angkor”
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This rendering of the Angkor War looks really cool. This blog is also really well written and interesting to read. I also really like the way you sectioned your blog and I might try to incorporate this style into my next post. I took this class in hopes to get to play with 3D design so I love to see posts in this field. My only edit is I think you misspelled the name of the war in the title by switching the ‘g’ and ‘k’.
This representation of Angkor Wat may be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen! And your write-up is great, too! Your questions are really interesting. Personally, I’m not sure if these sorts of experiential learning projects will replace more traditional modes of humanities teaching; they certainly won’t for a while, at least. This project in particular is really neat, but also I feel like there is more spectacle than analysis on display here, which makes it much better suited to be a supplementary piece of education.
I didn’t get to explore this digital humanities project, but it looks super cool! The questions you had in your section “What I’m thinking about” really sparked some curiosity for me about how Digital Arts will play a role in future education. I think that through your explanation and analysis of Angkor Wat made it seem like a very viable way to teach people about historical places and events. I think it would be a great way to add depth to education because it puts the textbook/lecture learning in context.
I did not choose to explore this DH project either, but it does seem like a super beautiful and detail representation of a place that used to be. I was struck by the first follow-up question you asked — will experiential tools like this one ever be capable of moving our education system forwards, maybe even by replacing textbooks. I definitely think that down the line we’re going to see a lot more tech and virtual reality integration into teaching, but I think a lot more advancements need to be seen before these experiential ways of learning are able to provide the same level of detail and accuracy as the books that have been curated and revised for years upon years. No need to respond, but I’m curious about your experience with the project and if you think it was impactful enough to serve as this, or what kinds of improvements would need to be made before it could serve as an educational tool.