3D virtual simulation enables visits to the Dutch trader Vrouw Maria at the bottom of the Baltic sea
19.07.2012
The interactive and real-time 3D virtual simulation of the wreck of the Vrouw Maria, created by researchers and students of the Media Lab of the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Finland is on display this summer in the exhibition “Spoils of Riches – the Stories of the Vrouw Maria and the St. Michel”.
The Vrouw Maria was a Dutch trader in the 18th century which sank off the coast of Finland. With the help of the easy-to-use The Re-discovering Vrouw Maria simulation, anyone can now gain the experience of visiting the wreck.
The simulation makes use of a new gesture-based interface where the user controls of the device by moving his or her arms.
The visitors have a choice between a pre-recorded presentation of the wreck or navigating freely in the virtual reality of the underwater landscape thus exploring selected parts of the wreck. The information spots at the bottom of the screen provide the visitor with additional data on the wreck and the landscape in the form of text, image, sound and video.
The Re-discovering Vrouw Maria wreck simulation was produced in 2010 and 2011. It continues the work started in 2009 in the Vrouw Maria Underwater project by Finland’s National Board of Antiquities.
It is part of research carried out by Aalto University’s Systems of Representation research group on digital cultural heritage. Professor Lily Diaz from the Media Lab of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture has acted as Project Manager. The production team includes several people from both the Media Lab and the Vrouw Maria Underwater project.
– From the viewpoint of research, the implementation of the simulation allowed us to develop new methods and new knowledge in areas such as the design of a 3D sound environment, interactive narrative and motion-based interface, Lily Diaz explains.
– Another aim of the project is to enable access to a wreck located in a protected area and to raise awareness of the existence and importance of cultural heritage and history, Diaz continues.
In the information society, digital technology and new media are used increasingly to store, conserve and even create cultural heritage, a phenomenon that is referred to by the concept of Digital Cultural Heritage. The trend is impacted by a growing public interest in cultural heritage as well as the continuous desire of researchers to develop new forms of research. Yet so far, little work of this nature has been done in Finland.
– Digital cultural heritage, like heritage in general, is not just about the past but is also directed towards the future. By storing culture, we are building a legacy for future generations, Diaz stresses.
The Vrouw Maria was a Dutch trader in the 18th century. Carrying paintings acquired by Catherine the Great, it was on its way to St. Petersburg but sank off the coast of Finland. “The Spoils of Riches – the Stories of the Vrouw Maria and the St. Michel” exhibition aims to present trade in the Baltic Sea during the Age of Enlightenment. The exhibition is running at the Maritime Centre Vellamo in Kotka, Finland until 2 December 2012.
Further information:
“The Re-discovering Vrouw Maria” simulation homepage (sysrep.aalto.fi)
Maritime Centre Vellamo (merikeskusvellamo.fi)
Professor Lily Diaz
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
tel. +358 40 725 6925
lily.diaz [at] aalto [dot] fi
Mr. Markku Reunanen, Lecturer
Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
tel. +358 50 539 3321
markku.reunanen [at] aalto [dot] fi