DIGITAL TOOLS TO LEARN AND ENGAGE: ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXHIBITIONS’ FUTURE IMAGINED IN THE VIRTUAL ERA
Channel: European Association of Archaeologists
Date: 04/12/2020

In recent years, thanks to the immersive and interactive capabilities of digital media, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, mapping and geographic information systems, 3D modelling and Virtual Reality (VR) in museums, new opportunities emerged for a more direct understanding of the lives of early cultures. There is a need for greater co-operation and communication between all sectors in technology, archaeology, cultural heritage, research, museums and beyond. In an age that digital tools are widely used for research purposes, this paper will examine the interconnection between information (data) and transformation of knowledge by investigating digital display methods in exhibitions that use these two notions within the creation and re-interpretation processes.

To investigate the opportunities this offers for alternative exhibition contexts, the article here presents one collaborative model for digital interpretation methods in an archaeological exhibition, rare in its exclusive focus on audience engagement by employing VR and AI technologies. The exhibition entitled “The Curious Case of Çatalhöyük” opened at the ANAMED Gallery in Istanbul, in 2017 presented the excavations at the UNESCO World Heritage List site of Çatalhöyük and the life in the Neolithic era. The interdisciplinary approach of the excavation project was reflected in exhibition displays with 3D printed replicas of selected finds, laser-scanned overviews of the mounds, as well as a data sculpture developed by employing machine learning algorithms. Moreover, a recreation of Çatalhöyük settlement in “Virtual Reality” was included in the exhibition aiming to create the feeling of “being then and there.” Highlighting a number of key narration trends, this paper will explore digital interactive practices that seek to challenge conventional modes of exhibition methodologies to have a significant impact on the user experience and display approaches of future archaeological museums.


Author(s): Cetin, Seyda (Koc University‘s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations)