Course Blog for Western University, Anthropology Department. Anthro 9112A/4493F i-ing the Past: Digital Archaeology and Digital Heritage, Winter 2021
Course Blog for Western University, Anthropology Department. Anthro 9112A/4493F i-ing the Past: Digital Archaeology and Digital Heritage, Winter 2021
1 comment:
Hi Lauren!
While this is quite a funny meme, I think that it also speaks to some very fundamental issues(as many memes do)! I think this meme is particularly relevant to our course, as it hits on one of the very core aspects of our discussions throughout the past semester about transparency and the ways that we present the work and theory behind the products we produce. In particular, this makes me think of our conversations surrounding 3D reconstruction and visualisation. There's a lot of work and manipulation that goes into creating 3D reconstructions and as a result, the end product is not simply an exact replica of the object which it was made to mimic, but it's own object that's been influenced by the source material, the tools that were used to construct it, and the decision of its creator(s). This end product becomes its own object, with its own value and agency, that we should be acknowledging and appreciating. However, without an understanding of the process and these theoretical aspects behind these digital heritage materials, it is difficult for wider audiences to fully realise or understand all the implications and intentions behind these models. This is why I think that even though the inclusion of and discussion about the theory behind these materials and their construction in public-facing presentations may seem a bit over-the-top and unnecessary to some, I think that they are essential parts of these products. I don't think that the theoretical frameworks should be considered separable from the end product. Anyways, asides from the theoretical implications (or perhaps because of them) this meme was a good laugh!
-Teegan
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