Wrapping Up: 3D Scanning & Hands-On Archaeology Exhibit at Gravesend, UK
From June 5-16th members from the DRAGEN lab team travelled to Gravesend, UK to participate in 3D scanning and public history Hands on Archaeology: Unearthing Gravesham’s Past exhibition at the Woodville Civic Centre. Throughout the two-week work term at this exhibition, team members were trained to 3D scan local Roman and Anglo-Saxon archaeological finds, as well as participate in public engagement with community members from Gravesend to discuss fascinating histories that have been unearthed through local archaeological digs. Our team’s involvement in this project were under the guidance of Dr. Stephen Sherlock, a co-investigator on Environments of Change and an archeologist with Britain’s National Highways agency.
During the time spent in Gravesend, members of our team were provided with various opportunities to engage with public audiences through means of pottery-sorting activities and discussing rich local histories. Through conversations with those in the community, it was evident that there is a significant interest in local histories, specifically in community members aged 50-85. This was a notable trend throughout our time spent working with the public, as individuals within that age demographic had a tendency to reflect on their experiences with witnessing the archaeological digs as they previously took place, or had mentioned their own experiences with finding objects on their property. Connecting with locals to discuss their interpretations and excitement surrounding archaeology and history was a valuable opportunity to better understand human perspective with respect to historical contexts for all members of our team.
What’s Next:
For the next two weeks, our team will be travelling to North Yorkshire, where they will work to create a digital collection of 3D-scanned Anglo-Saxon, Neolithic and Iron-Aged artifacts under the supervision of Dr. Stephen Sherlock. These artifacts are a collection of items discovered by Dr. Sherlock at various archaeological excavations at Streethouse Farm, located near Loftus, UK. We look forward to sharing more information with you in later DRAGEN Tales blog posts!
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.
This blog post is part of the Environments of Change project.