Art, Creativity and Automation. From Charters to Shared 3D Visualization Practices

Hayley Mickleburgh,Martina Revello Lami,Loes Opgenhaffen

doi:10.1515/opar-2020-0162

Hayley Mickleburgh, Martina Revello Lami + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2020-0162

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Abstract

Abstract In this study, we introduce the themes of the Special Issue on Art, Creativity and Automation. Sharing 3D Visualization Practices in Archaeology, and present the most important outcomes of a roundtable session involving prominent researchers in the field, organized by the authors during the Archon Winter School in February 2020. By assessing the diversity of research aims, artistic projects, creative practices and technology used in the contributions to the Special Issue, and drawing on the thoughts and perspectives generated during the roundtable discussion, we seek to identify shared challenges within the community of visualizers which could ultimately pave the way to shared practices. In this light, we assess whether established charters and guidelines are still relevant in a now matured digital archaeology, where visualization techniques have attained a central position in archaeological knowledge production. Although parts of the guidelines have become common practice, the remainder did not keep up with the fast pace of development of digital practice and its current fundamental role in archaeology, and as a result some of the guidelines risk becoming obstructive in archaeological creative practice.

Highlights

What do a forensic archaeologist, a pottery specialist, and an archaeological 3D visualizer have in common besides being archaeologists with different areas of expertise? When the archaeological 3D visualizer was looking for people with similar interests in 3D visualization to co-organize a “winter-school”, with the aim to unite practitioners in archaeological 3D visualization in the Netherlands, she quite expected selfdescribed “digital archaeologists” to answer the call
Sharing 3D Visualization Practices in Article note: This article is a part of the Special Issue on Art, Creativity and Automation
Together with the varied contributions to the symposium, the roundtable discussion paved the way to the present special issue, further strengthening the community of archaeologists from across the world who use 3D visualization technology in their daily practice

Summary

Introduction

What do a forensic archaeologist, a pottery specialist, and an archaeological 3D visualizer have in common besides being archaeologists with different areas of expertise? When the archaeological 3D visualizer was looking for people with similar interests in 3D visualization to co-organize a “winter-school”, with the aim to unite practitioners in archaeological 3D visualization in the Netherlands, she quite expected selfdescribed “digital archaeologists” to answer the call. Together with the varied contributions to the symposium, the roundtable discussion paved the way to the present special issue, further strengthening the community of archaeologists from across the world who use 3D visualization technology in their daily practice. This introduction to the Special Issue presents some of the outcomes of this roundtable discussion, the ones related to the charters, which are subsequently compared with the shared themes we identified in the contributions to the Special Issue. These shared themes are assessed to determine the position of the community of practice of archaeological visualizers in archaeology

Turning Guidelines into Shared Practices

Communities of Practice

Visual Communication and Dissemination of Archaeology and Heritage

Automating Creative Practice?

Concluding Remarks