3D Scanning at the Woodville Civic Centre in Gravesend, UK
During the first week of June 2023, a small group of students from the DRAGEN Lab began a two-week research assignment at the Woodville Civic Centre in Gravesend, England, in partnership with the Hands on Archaeology: Unearthing Gravesham’s Past project. The students are working to create 3D scans of Roman and Anglo-Saxon artifacts unearthed from a high-status burial in Gravesheath. When the team first arrived at the Woodville Civic Centre, they were met by Dr. Stephen Sherlock, a co-investigator on Environments of Change and an archeologist with Britain’s National Highways agency.
The team’s principle contact at Gravesend are Lyndsey Thompson, Arts and Heritage Officer in Gravesham Borough Council and Dana Goodburn-Brown, a Conservator preserving the artifacts at the Blake Gallery who runs a series of interactive public workshops. While in Gravesend, our team supports their work in providing a deeper understanding of the benefits of digitally reimagining historic artifacts. Through their 3D scans, they reach out to communities and share the value of archaeological finds. The ultimate aim of our participation is to create some replica items to make a more tactile interactive display for the public.
To that end, our students are contributing to an interactive exhibit and virtual museum to encourage community engagement, as well as a physical space for visitors to view the finds housed at the gallery. Members of the community have been invited to stop by to view the artifacts, to watch as they are 3D scanned by our team, and to learn about the process of digitally reimagining historical artifacts. Our team looks forward to sharing more about this exciting project in the coming weeks through the DRAGEN Tales blog!
Shannon Blackmore is a digital communications, social media, and community specialist. She received an Master of Arts (MA) in Communications and Media Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2020. As part of the Environments of Change Project and DRAGEN Lab, Shannon works to communicate specialist work to a general audience.
Kian Drew is a Master of Science (MSc) candidate at the University of Waterloo. He is currently writing his thesis on the Late Holocene chronostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Pevensey Levels in East Sussex, UK. Kian is a specialist in 3D printing and scanning and uses this work to make museum exhibits more accessible for the public.
Astrid Woerner Kropp is a Master of Arts (MA) candidate at the University of Waterloo specializing in social history. She holds a nursing degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. Astrid is active in the community and has raised almost $400,000 in the past 25 years.
Katrina Van Der Ahe is a Master of Arts (MA) candidate at Wilfred Laurier University with a focus on the Middle Ages and women’s history. Her MA Thesis focuses on nuns and laywomen’s continued direct or indirect involvement in book production from 1385 - 1600CE.
This blog post is part of the Environments of Change project.