English 122 Discussion

Last Name 2

Student Name

Katherine Burton

English 122

Date

Art Conservation: Embracing A Technological Future Comment by Katherine Burton: Student-created title (not the title of the assignment)

On April 15th, 2019, people all around the globe witnessed the tragic inferno that ravaged the historic Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. In the wake of the blaze, most of the talk and focus regarding Notre Dame has centered around restoration efforts and projected timelines for full restoration. However, could this tragedy have been prevented in the first place? Nearly two years ago Time featured an article by Vivienne Walt that seems like an eerie prophecy after the fact: Notre Dame was dying long before the fire. In 2017, Notre Dame received nearly 7 million dollars in aide from the French Ministry of Culture for renovation of the spire, but the funds were insufficient, and the archdiocese attempted to generate another $144 million for renovation efforts (Walt). Not only did the government funding not fully complete renovating the spire, but they could not provide the funds to help restore any other part of the church. The Ministry of Culture said that “Notre Dame should not expect regular help of this kind,” citing that “the cathedral is just one of many old buildings in need of care. France has thousands of monuments” (Walt). While it is true that the priority of Notre Dame has shifted due to recent events, it is also true that France clearly needs to find a preventative solution to restoration efforts instead of a reactionary one. In 2016, the Ministry of Culture’s budget was $3.2 billion dollars to be utilized for all cultural and art conservation and restoration needs including: museum security, museum acquisitions, and renovation projects (Nuendorf). With all these necessary allocations of funding spreading budgets thin and making them tight, it is easy to see how the events of April 15th were able to manifest and transpire. However, to avoid future tragedies like Notre Dame, the French government, and governments around the world, should utilize technologies such as 3D printing and scanning, virtual reality, and augmented reality in place of physical restoration techniques for lower priority projects to more efficiently use their limited funds. Comment by Katherine Burton: The student dives straight into the topic without using a vague “universal statement” like “Fires cause a lot of destruction” or “National treasures need to be protected from damage.” Comment by Katherine Burton: This quote is skillfully blended into the student’s own writing. Another way to incorporate a quote is to use a signal phrase like According to Burton, “this quote is skillfully blended into the student’s own writing” (17). Comment by Katherine Burton: In the introduction, the student gives an overview of the topic, some background information and some context. He then presents his argument.

The use of technologies in art conservation and restoration practices is not met without controversy. Essentially, at least when you rebuild part of an old structure, you can still see the original structure amongst the renovations. However, this belief is nothing more than an iconic fear of a malevolent use of historical empathy. Historical empathy is essentially the concept of understanding or respecting the thoughts, feelings, or ideas of historical figures to understand humanity’s shared history (Sweeney 116). The fear that comes into play when digital technologies are proposed are that “a Knossos website could bring together all the contending parts, pieces and fully built models, and analysts can add, change, or delete them as the situation suggests” (Molyneaux 135). Basically, a museum that profits from people loving their Knossos digital experience may altar some of the blemishes of Knossos to serve the interest of the museum instead of providing an accurate representation of historical truth. Essentially, it is similar to ignoring the negative aspects of historical events and figure, such as the Founding Fathers having been slaveholders, in order to present a more palatable, white-washed version to a modern-day audience. Comment by Katherine Burton: Throughout the body paragraphs, the writer states his argument and uses his sources as evidence to back up his position. He also addresses the counterargument. He is pro-use of technology in restoration – the opposing side has been addressed.

It is an understandable fear that this type of biased reporting is likely inevitable. However, we already have tools to deal with biased reporting today: education. It is common knowledge that The Daily Wire is a right-leaning publication and that the New York Times is more liberal and thus audiences know to read those publications with that bias in mind. This ability would translate just as easily to virtual simulations. Being proactive and informing ourselves about the potential biases of these agencies is how It is best to accept and deal with the fear of twisted historical in virtual presentations.

Shifting the focus to the technologies themselves, the first method of conservation and restoration that should be implemented are 3D printing and scanning technologies. Digital imaging and scanning methods are ideal for use in museums and art galleries. For example, the “Lady with the Unicorn” painting by Rafael was recently scanned using these technologies and revealed that the famous unicorn transforms into a puppy under X-ray lighting and the puppy disappears when further scanned and thus the true nature of Rafael’s work is that it was left unfinished (“The Secret Lives of Paintings”). Not only did these technologies reveal that the painting had been altered and restored over the time, but they allowed the original to be seen digitally without having to use potentially destructive techniques to physically reveal this secret. On the other hand, 3D printing technologies can be essential in the preservation of cultural heritage by enabling the mass replication of smaller historical artifacts. The prime example of this is the small cuneiform cylinder seal that is an essential component to ancient Iraqi heritage. Unfortunately, these seals, and many similar Iraqi artifacts “remain in archives of the museums worldwide” (Al-Baghdadi 441). Not only are these items not in Iraq to be displayed in local cultural heritage exhibits, but they are essentially not even on display elsewhere. Essentially, these important, cultural relics just sit in storage, collecting dust, until they are removed for cleaning and repairs. It would seem much better to “have replicas of these artifacts to allow the local audience to learn more about Iraqi heritage” (Al-Baghdadi 441). While 3D printing and digital imaging technologies are best used for smaller scale projects, a series of small-scale fixes can add up to a large change in the end. Comment by Katherine Burton: This is a good transitional phrase. In academic writing at this level, you should not be using “first” or “secondly,” “in conclusion,” or those types of phrases for transitions.

A far grander technology for consideration in place of physical restoration practices is the virtual reality experience. Virtual reality is simply a digitally created world, or space, with artificially generated events and interactions. These experiences are beginning to show up in museums around the world. One such place is the RAF Museum in Hendon. Here visitors can “use virtual reality technology to experience the Dambusters raid of 1943 during World War II from inside a replica bomber” (“Flight of Fancy; Virtual reality is opening up new ways to understand the great battles of the past”). Instead of constantly providing upkeep on all the surviving planes, a replica was built, and an experience was created. Now only one thing needs to be maintained instead of several. This experience includes hearing actual intercom chatter via a headset, seeing the night sky, and through sensors in a vest feeling the tremors and vibrations of the ongoing battle (“Flight of Fancy; Virtual reality is opening up new ways to understand the great battles of the past”). It may be true that seeing something in reality will always be different, and for some better, than seeing that same thing virtually. However, looking at an old plane cannot recreate the actual sensation of being inside of it during flight operations. What would be better, standing inside the center of the empty and crumbling Roman Colosseum or strapping on some sensors and a headset and suddenly being in that same location only this time the place is filled with the roaring crowed, digitally recreated structures, and an opponent in the ring that you get to experience fighting? Additionally, virtual reality experiences do not pose a threat to the physical remains of a structure. Think about the last time you were walking somewhere, and you came across a random trail that seemed out of place. Perhaps this trail was created by animals, or maybe it was manmade, but it was created because something, or someone, repeatedly walked that same route, and touched the same places on the ground, over a long period of time. Now take that same concept and apply it to the walls and walkways of ancient structures that countless tourists walk on and run their hands across every day. The damage might seem negligible because the geological process is slow, rocks and stone do not naturally erode overnight, but it is still avoidable damage nevertheless.

The final technology that should be implemented in place of physical restoration projects is augmented reality. Augmented reality is the process of “mixing together past (non-existing parts, virtually modeled) and present (real and existing, not modelled) parts” to reduce the cost of restoration projects by forgoing physical restoration practices in favor of digitally recreating and broadcasting missing components, while facilitating an authentic experience in the real space (Portales 318). Augmented reality is essentially a middle ground approach to restoration efforts in the present that would also provide a transition to future virtual reality experiences. For example, if a portion of an old building needs to be replaced, the missing portion can be digitally modeled, and an augmented reality experience can be created. Then, when another portion of the building decays, this portion can be added onto the existing model, and so on and so forth until the entire building is digitally modelled. This process is less drastic than jumping straight from the original piece into an entirely virtual experience. “Landscapes are a reflection of the beliefs and practices of a society or culture,” and an augmented reality experience would present these beliefs and practices with the added benefit of not having to continuously finance the maintenance of every fallen archway, every time it falls (Sweeney 117). Every fort and castle of old has a story to tell, but not all of them need to be physically restored and constantly maintained. Comment by Katherine Burton: The student has used an appropriate number of correctly cited quotes for the assignment and the rest of the source in formation has been paraphrased and cited. His similarity score in Turnitin was 15% (green) which shows that he used source material but the majority of his paper is his own thoughts, in his own words.

The tragic fire that consumed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris should serve as a wake-up call to the world that preventive measures need to be taken to prevent the destruction of cultural icons. Notre Dame will be rebuilt and is prime example of the structures of this world that should be physically restored. However, there are steps that must be taken in to better finance the physical renovations that iconic monuments worldwide undoubtably require if we are to avoid another solemn scene like the one witnessed on April 15th. Instead of continuously spending money restoring antique paintings and small ancient artifacts, museums around the world could use digital imaging and 3D printing technologies to replace and replicate them. Virtual reality experiences could mitigate the expansive cost of the endless cycle of repairs for exhibits and archeological sites and augmented reality tours could provide the transitory experience necessary to facilitate a full conversion to virtual reality. Each of these steps replaces the financial drain of maintaining real structures and items with a more permanent, albeit digital experience. Notre Dame might need to be, and deserve to be, rebuilt but does every old castle or church? The Enola Gay is significant enough to warrant preservation, but is every World War II bomber? In an ideal world, money would not be an object and all these glimpses into human history could be saved and maintained. Unfortunately, we do not live in an ideal world. That is why the French government, and the governments around the world, should replace lower priority physical restoration projects with technologies such as 3D printing and scanning technologies and virtual and augmented reality experiences to more efficiently use their limited funds. Which buildings and relics should fall into which tier or priority level for these efforts? Those questions are up to governments, museums, and other such entities to sort out. However, if nothing changes, and restoration and conservation practices remain as antiquated as the buildings they are trying to preserve, then more tragedies like the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral are inevitable. It is time to both learn from the physical past and embrace the digital future. Comment by Katherine Burton: The conclusion sums up the student’s points and re-states his position on the topic. The essay falls within the required word count.

Works Cited Comment by Katherine Burton:

Al-Baghdadi, Maher A. R.Sadiq. “3D Printing and 3D Scanning of Our Ancient History: Preservation and Protection of Our Cultural Heritage and Identity.” International Journal of Energy & Environment, vol. 8, no. 5, Sept. 2017, pp. 441–456. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=124951603&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

"Flight of Fancy; Virtual reality is opening up new ways to understand the great battles of the past." Times [London, England], 28 July 2018, p. 29. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A547995322/GIC?u=aur58810&sid=GIC&xid=148b4fce. Accessed 1 May 2019.

Molyneaux, Brian Leigh. “Fighting with Pictures: The Archaeology of Reconstructions.” Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology, vol. 12, no. 1, June 1999, p. 134. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1558/jmea.v12i1.134 Comment by Katherine Burton: A doi is preferred to a URL if one is available. If you use the URL, hake sure to remove the http or https in your source citation (works cited). You can remove the hyperlink by right-clicking on it.

Neuendorf, Henri. “France Announces Unprecedented $3.2 Billion Culture Budget.” Artnet News, Artnet News, 5 Oct. 2016, news.artnet.com/art-world/france-culture-budget-686645.

Portales, Cristina, et al. “Photogrammetry and Augmented Reality for Cultural Heritage Applications.” Photogrammetric Record, vol. 24, no. 128, Dec. 2009, pp. 316–331. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1477-9730.2009.00549.x.

“The Secret Lives of Paintings.” Performance by Maurizio Seracini, TED, 2012, www.ted.com/talks/maurizio_seracini_the_secret_lives_of_paintings?language=en.

Sweeney, Sara K., et al. “Using Augmented Reality and Virtual Environments in Historic Places to Scaffold Historical Empathy.” TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, vol. 62, no. 1, Jan. 2018, pp. 114–118. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11528-017-0234-9.

Walt, Vivienne. “Notre Dame Cathedral Is Crumbling. Who Will Help Save It?” Time, Time, 27 July 2017, time.com/4876087/notre-dame-cathedral-is-crumbling/. Comment by Katherine Burton: There is a good mix of source types here: specialty source (Artnet News), scholarly databases (Global Issues in Context/EBSCOHost), a TED Talk, and a general popular news magazine (Time). The student has used the required number of sources.