3D model of cosmowenman
The models were repaired and checked for printability.
"When all the archtypes burst in shamelessly, we reach Homeric depths. Two
...Show more cliches make us laugh. A hundred cliches move us. For we sense dimly that the cliches are talking among themselves, and celebrating a reunion."—Umberto Eco, Casablanca, or, The Cliches are Having a Ball
In the 19th century, important works of sculptural art were reproduced in plaster. Artisans carefully made molds of the ancient originals, and high-quality reproductions were then cast in plaster to be bought, sold, and traded by museums, universities, art schools, and private collectors everywhere. It was a way to share art with people who otherwise would not be able to see it in person -- an analog precedent to the exciting capabilities now coming online with all things 3D capture and 3D printing.
Those 19th century cast collections, once proudly owned and displayed, became unfashionable in the early 1900s. Many were broken up and some were even physically destroyed.
The Skulpturhalle Basel museum in Switzerland has one of the world's few remaining large collections of plaster casts, and it exists today to preserve the pieces and the educational, archival, and research functions the now-abandoned plaster cast tradition once served. The Skulpturhalle has, under one roof, preserved in plaster, the topology of thousands of important sculptures, the originals of which are scattered in museums around the world.
With the permission of the Skulpturhalle's open-minded and forward-thinking directorship, in September, 2013 I spent a week in the museum, making 3D surveys of my pick of their casts of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures.
I originally sought funding for this project via Kickstarter, and I found many enthusiastic backers. But when the campaign ultimately failed to reach its fundraising goal, Autodesk's Reality Capture division generously offered to back my project directly. Since I had already planned to use Autodesk's 3D capture solutions, and to share all the survey results and explain how they were made, this sponsorship arrangement was a perfect match. The project remains independent and entirely my own, but it was Autodesk's financial support that made it possible.
These 3D models are modern artifacts and direct descendents of the plaster cast tradition, which is poised for a 3D captured, 3D printed, digital renaissance. They are to my knowledge the first high-quality 3D surveys of these works to be freely published, and I am pleased to be able to offer you direct access to their ancient, enigmatic, and graceful contours, which descend to us through an unbroken chain from antiquity -- from Greek and Roman temple and palace ruins, rocky shorelines and farmers' fields, to museums all over the world, to the Skulpturhalle, through my camera lens, to you.
-- Cosmo Wenman
https://twitter.com/CosmoWenman
