Museums as Scenes of the Crime

“Life-sized painted bust of the queen, 47 cm high. With the flat-cut blue wig, which also has a ribbon wrapped around it halfway up [...] Work absolutely exceptional. Description is useless, must be seen.” Ludwig Borchardt Tell el-Amarna 18th Dynasty, ca. 1351–1334 BCE

Nora

al-Badri

& Jan

Nikolai

Nelles

HIST3812w2018: critical making in digital history

HIST3000f2026: intro to digital archaeology (Billings Estate)

a kind of close reading of an object or artefact

a process that often fails! and that is part of the point.

3d Photogrammetry 

Failing Gloriously

The plan:

1. A bit of background on the math & physics of 3d scanning (gentle version, as I understand things)
2. A bit of background on how archaeologists & historians use this technology
3. A bit of practice with your own tech & some higher-end scanning devices from the XLab
4. A lesson plan that might be useful for your own teaching (I taught grade 9 geography, once upon a time)

While I talk a bit, search for and install 'scaniverse' on your phone (ios, android). Do not share location settings.

do not pay for anything. never pay for anything!

Photogrammetry is about triangulation

- reconstruction / 3d printing

- close study of an artefact

- diy museum exhibit building (museum in a box for something more polished)

- asset building for games (try twine or ink or godot or tiltfive holographic table) 

- etc!

...ok, so... why?

See what you can scan with scaniverse

• fails are important! why is the model so weird? 
• what is it about the object that resists this process?

Your turn

Three scanner from Matter & Form

• $2k device, all computing done on-board
• accessed via browser, can work with any phone, chromebook, computer, tablet
• uses 'structured light': reads the deformation caused by the object calculated against a background calibration

Your turn

See what you can scan with scaniverse

• fails are important! why is the model so weird? 
• what is it about the object that resists this process?

Polycam is good; many dark patterns to try to get you on paid account, hides 'free' version

Realityscan is good; requires Epic Games login

Kiri engine worth exploring

A 60 Minute Lesson Plan

Prep:

• scaniverse or kiri engine or polycam free tier on their phone
• small object with texture (avoid shiny surfaces

• Before the capture, students must identify "heist-friendly" objects. Some materials are "impossible" for the software to "see".

• Targets to Avoid: Shiny metals, transparent glass, mirrors, and single-color plastics. These confuse the software because they don't have unique "tie points".

• Ideal Targets: Items with high contrast, organic textures (wood, stone), or multicolored patterns (a fabric shoe).

• The "Heist" Prep: If a target is too smooth, "thieves" sometimes add detail by using removable chalk spray or sticking on masking tape to give the software reference points.

Colonialism and Museums

• Visit the website of a major museum in Europe. Search for 'Haida'.
• Many cultural objects from the peoples of the west coast were confiscated under the Potlatch ban. Many of those objects were dispersed to European museums.
• Consider the Nefertiti case. Consider the ReLooted video game.

...which might fit in 'Canada and the world' type modules in the curriculum?

Parallax and Perception (15 Minutes)
To pull off the heist, students must understand parallax: the apparent shift in an object's position when viewed from different vantage points.

• Activity: The Thumb Shift: Have students extend their thumb at arm’s length. They should look at a distant object, closing one eye at a time. The "shift" they see is parallax.
• The Principle: Explain that photogrammetry software uses this shift across many photos to calculate 3D coordinates (x,y,z) from 2D images.
• The Rule of Overlap: For the software to work, every part of the "heist" target must be visible in at least two photos. To be safe, they need 60% to 90% overlap between consecutive shots.

II. The Science

The Digital Heist (10 Minutes)

• The Scenario: Students examine a museum website (like the Met) and select an object.
• The Mission: Explain that they are going to "liberate" this object by creating a digital twin. Because they cannot physically touch the artifact, they must learn to "capture" it using light and math.
• Discussion: Ask students: If an object is destroyed, lost, or repatriated (returned to its original country), how can it still be studied? Note that photogrammetry is a vital tool for archaeologists to document heritage that is otherwise unavailable.

I. TheHoo

I. The Hook

Use a Fishbowl Discussion, TPS etc to reflect on the ethics of their heist, and the relationship between the digital and the real.

Question: How did your models 'fail'? How did trying to 'read' the object affect you? Where is the source of failure?

Question: If you "liberate" a digital model of an object that was originally stolen during a war or through government confiscation, who owns that digital file? The museum? The original culture? The "digital thief" who captured it?

V. Critical Debrief: "Who Owns the Digital?"

(15 Minutes)

Students will practice the two primary strategies for capturing 3D data with their phones.

• The Walk-Around Method: The object stays still (like a statue in a park), and the student moves around it in a circle. This is best for large objects.
• The Turntable Method: The student stays still, and the object is rotated. This requires a featureless, non-distracting background (like a black or white sheet).

IV. Execution: Two Methods of Capture

(20 Minutes)

Thanks!

shawn.graham@carleton.ca