Abstract
The models and animations of the Old Minster, Winchester were remarkable in 1984–6 for producing the earliest animated tour of a virtual archaeological monument. Thought to be lost, thirty years on the original model files were rediscovered buried under layers of now unsupported code and recovered.This paper describes how the models were initially developed in the 1980s and then subsequently retrieved, restored and re-purposed in 2015. The original project is re-evaluated in the light of contemporary best practice. In modernising the digital Old Minster this virtual model has also been translated into a material one in the form of a 3D-print. This physical instantiation of the model challenges conventional understandings of, and blurs the boundary between, real and virtual heritage. We contend that left unaddressed this lack of clarity is set to radically disrupt current best practice in the discipline.
Highlights
The most imposing building in pre-Norman Britain, the only trace of the Old Minster on the ground today is the footprint of the building's final phase laid out in bricks marking the robber trenches left from its demolition in c.1093/4 to the north of the present Norman cathedral
winchester solid modeller (Winsom) was based on the principles of Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG), using basic boolean operators to build complex objects from combinations of simple ones
Winsom was an organic research vehicle, which produced its own set of challenges
Summary
The Old Minster project might be seen as the spark that ignited an explosion of creativity in producing and presenting hypothetical interpretations and reconstructions of cultural heritage to a broad-based, international audience in a virtual format. The combination of an internationally significant archaeological and historical site associated with the application of the latest 'high technology', promoted by a professional corporate communications officer at IBM, ensured this project made a huge, if temporary, impact. It was very successful in garnering the attention of a large, international, broad-based audience through broadcasters (e.g. BBC South Today, 1986), the press The historical significance of this collection, together with the emergence of specialist online journals to curate and provide access to such models, persuaded us to assemble as much as possible of the models and associated intellectual capital (code, manuals, definition files, images, correspondence, patents), and port them with an account of their history into an open, stable and secure digital environment, in order to make them available for historians of digital cultural heritage and other interested parties
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
