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Monthly imaging question - August

1. Monthly imaging question - August

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Wendy Rose
Posted 08-29-2024 11:43
Hi IWG! I hope you've all had a great summer!

My imaging question for August is:

Photogrammetry and RTI (or 3D and 2.5D imaging techniques) have been finding their way into conservation imaging. How are you using either of these techniques to support conservation?

Share images, papers, videos if you have them!

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Wendy Rose
Alexandria VA
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2. RE: Monthly imaging question - August

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Leah Humenuck
Posted 09-24-2024 10:26
This is a great question! I have incorporated 2.5D imaging for documenting the covers of embroidered books and other books that have exaggerated decorations. This has really helped in visualizing various textures and patterns. I've attached an image from an example.

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Leah Humenuck
PhD Candidate, Conservator
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester NY
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3. RE: Monthly imaging question - August

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E. Keats Webb
Posted 10-03-2024 10:08
On Friday of last week, we had our monthly IWG open Zoom where folks have the opportunity to informally chat about imaging related things. We brought up this monthly imaging question at the beginning of the open Zoom, and I wanted to generally share some of the responses. If folks who were at the open Zoom want to chime in with specifics and share images, papers or videos, that would be great! (Just an FYI our next IWG open Zoom will be Friday, October 25 at 11am.)

Folks brought up the use of 3D (maybe not specifically photogrammetry) for conservation applications that included monitoring the change of shape in a panel painting, creating missing parts for a sculpture, making 3D forms in order to create fills, mount making for exhibition of objects, and comparing copies of sculptures to look at the similarities and differences between collections. This conversation led into challenges with digital asset management of 3D data sets and also questions about institutions who are supporting 3D printing.

A couple of examples come to mind of photogrammetry projects focusing on conservation applications that have online information and images:

Cultural Heritage Imaging (CHI) documentation of the Diego Rivero mural "Pan American Unity"

CHI website: https://culturalheritageimaging.org/What_We_Do/Projects/rivera-mural/index.html

"Through the Eyes of a Conservator" post about the project and photogrammetry results: https://exhibits.stanford.edu/rivera/feature/through-the-eyes-of-a-conservator

Wendy's work on Judy Baca's mural "Uprising of the Mujeres" at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM): https://americanart.si.edu/blog/judy-baca-conservation

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E. Keats Webb
Imaging Scientist
Museum Conservation Institute
Smithsonian Institution
Suitland, MD
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4. RE: Monthly imaging question - August

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Kurt Heumiller
Posted 10-04-2024 11:56
I've been doing more Photogrammetry and Structured Light scanning for 3D data with conservation. I recently presented at the Rijksmuseum's 2+3D conference on work on a Rembrandt where we did both RTI and Photogrammetry. You can find the slides here. A longer write up with be in Facture volume 7 next year.

Some other work that isn't completely ready for prime-time yet: We've also been doing some other work largely with our structured light scanner of objects for various purposes... comparing different bronzes to confirm they were made from an original source wax (with some variations made between castings), creating detailed scans of at risk objects in non-traditional materials that may need to be re-cast as the materials are more ephemeral, scanning detailed areas of a marble that needs to be recreated by a conservator to replace damaged areas in another section with the same feature.

We've also been looking at Factum Foundation's Selene system which is based in photometric stereo (RTI is a subset of Photometric Stereo). It is impressive for capturing high frequency data such as fine texture details in 2.5D objects. However I wouldn't consider low frequency measurements to be trustworthy. For example if you scanned a printing plate, you can get a good sense of the depth of an etching on the plate, but I wouldn't trust the data as to if the entire printing plate is bowed to any extent. The Bodleian Library at Oxford and Princeton University Libraries both have such a system.

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Kurt Heumiller
3D Photographer/Coordinator
National Gallery of Art
Arlington VA
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