Week 5 – Reflection on the Museum Project

This week, we started working on the project of using the software Photogrammetry to model the sculptures exhibited at Carleton’s Perlman Teaching Museum. My group chose to create a 3D model of a ceramic tomb figure of a court lady that was excavated in Sichuan Province, China.
From viewing the object at the exhibition, we gained a general understanding of its appearance and shape, and we learned about its history and cultural significance from the provided information. However, we didn’t notice much detail since some pigments have faded and some parts of the surface have come off as it could be dated to the 7th – 10th century. When we came back to the museum to take pictures, we were able to examine the object from different angles and actively engage with it. We also experimented with the setup of the lighting to get high-quality images and understand how shadows affect the look. Since photogrammetry requires great attention to detail, we had to carefully observe the structure, texture, color, and surface features of the object. Compared to simply viewing it in the exhibition, the process of attempting to model an object allows us to get a comprehensive understanding of various details that we might otherwise have ignored. Meanwhile, engaging with this object makes me curious to explore the stories behind it. It takes thorough investigations into the history and culture of a particular era to truly understand a work of art.
Moving from passive observer to active modeler, I was intrigued by the power of 3D modeling. At exhibitions, observation is limited because people cannot get close enough to the object or view it from different perspectives since exhibits are usually protected by a glass cover. 3D models enable people to take a close examination from all angles and capture details. 3D modeling offers an accessible way to communicate art and history to various publics.