Year: 2024
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: This paper shares the experience and learning curve of digitizing the Panorama of Congo, a significant yet rarely exhibited colonial artwork.The immense scale of the painting (115 meters x 14 meters, 1610 m 2 ) made by Belgian painters and commissioned by the Belgian Ministry of Colonies posed both physical and ethical challenges for digital preservation.With limited best practices available, a multidisciplinary team undertook the task of photographing the canvas in December 2022.The method involved volunteers, specialized equipment, and Metamorfoze guidelines to ensure the creation of a digital version for further research and virtual reality applications.Despite the ethical complexities of digitizing colonial heritage, the project aimed to respect the dignity of all peoples and contribute to a better understanding of history.The digital artifact now exists in three forms: individual high-resolution images, an unretouched gigapixel file revealing the canvas's current state, and a digitally restored file that approximates the original viewing experience.The latter is also integrated in a VR application where it can be seen in 360°.
Language: English
Subfield: Conservation
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Funders: University of Missouri, CERN
OpenAlex ID: W4403840033