The Virtual Paul’s Cross Project uses architectural modeling software alongside acoustic simulation software to allow the user to experience listening to John Donne’s sermon for Gunpowder Day from eight different positions with four different crowd sizes. Along with allowing the user to experience listening to the sermon, the project also allows the user to explore the cathedral, learn about John Donne, learn about the script, and much more.
Sources
The project used many sources to create the experience, with the main sources being manuscripts and numerous published works. To create the visual model, NC State University graduate students used foundation images from John Schofield’s, St Paul’s Cathedral Before Wren (2011), and a variety of different drawings and paintings from multiple different books, libraries, and colleges like Oxford. A longer list of the project’s sources can be found by clicking this link.
Processed
- The visual model was constructed by NC State University graduate students using Google SketchUp and Photoshop.
- The acoustic model was constructed using the CATT acoustic modeling program with the addition of reverberation, taking into account the building’s materials, distance, and more.
Presented
On top of the images displayed throughout the project’s website, the main presentation is done through YouTube videos. There are 24 different YouTube videos, each showcasing the sermon from 8 different locations in the cathedral, with 4 different crowd sizes.
New Question That Arose
Before coming across this project, I didn’t even know something like this was possible. It makes me curious to explore and see if there are other projects using similar technology that allow users to experience other historical events like MLK’s speech, JFK’s inaugural address, FDR’s war message, and more.
Discussion Questions
- Who is the target audience? The target audience could be the broader public. Those trying to learn about history, John Donne, Gunpowder Day, St Paul’s Cathedral, etc. Researchers trying to gain an understanding of the history behind the sermon and the location.
- What is the goal of the project? “The Virtual Paul’s Cross Project helps us to explore public preaching in early modern London, enabling us to experience a Paul’s Cross sermon as a performance, as an event unfolding in real time in the context of an interactive and collaborative occasion.” – Directly from the project’s purpose.
2 thoughts on “Analyzing Virtual Paul’s Cross Project”
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I analyzed the Virtual Angkor project and I believe that it happens to use similar technologies to display what life was like in Angkor! There was a lot of 3D modeling involved and there are interactive avenues in the forms of VR simulations and a map that seem similar to what was done in the Virtual Paul’s Cross project. I definitely believe that one of the most innovative applications of these technologies is being able to recreate the past through virtual models and educate scholars and the general public. Do you think the YouTube videos worked well, or do you think the project would have benefitted from having a more interactive, ground-level feature using technologies such as VR?
This project definitely made me curious as well, Daniel! I’m also curious what other applications this technology could have and what other events could they use it for. I also agree that the general audience for this would be people who are interested in learning about the time period and area of the event. I think the audio portion really adds to the project as well.