[AFP]

It started with an inflatable pig. Jeffrey Shaw has always been fascinated by interactivity, having in the 1960s created art he hoped would narrow the gap between viewer and image.

His pig starred on the cover of Pink Floyd’s 1977 concept album “Animals”, floating eerily above London’s Battersea Power Station, in what has become one of the most famous images in rock music history. …

Shaw has developed what he calls “cultural heritage visualisation”, a technique that he hopes will help preserve key sites around the world before the onslaught of mass tourism destroys them. …

To ensure their preservation, it is likely the caves will be eventually sealed. Future access will therefore be virtual, relying on digital media and the visualization work that Shaw is doing.

His work was recently exhibited in Hong Kong, using a full laser scan of the escarpment at Dunhuang and high-resolution photography to build a virtual environment, on a one-to-one scale, for visitors to explore.

Technologies used to augment the experience include detailed re-colouring and restoration, a variable scale magnifying glass, virtual touch and 3D animation.  …

AVIE was developed, under Shaw’s direction, with the University of New South Wales in Sydney between 2006 and 2008. The system uses six 3D projectors, six PCs with game graphics cards in them, surround-sound audio and a giant circular television screen.

Moreover, the technology’s potential for academic study is significant, in that many scholars can access the caves in a richer and more detailed way than at the physical site, where restrictions are in place to minimise damage.

Shaw and his colleagues have completed similar initiatives at Angkor Wat and the World Heritage Site of Hampi, southern India, among others. He says the Dunhuang project is the largest yet.  …

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