Conscious digitisation to support the conservation of the V&A's collection of large scale reproductions

先进的数字化技术允许以一定的精度记录人工制品的形状以及其他光学和物理属性。因此，3D扫描、摄影测量、X射线和反射变换成像(RTI)等技术使记录人工制品及其状况的新方法成为可能。以前的研究表明，这些技术往往导致数据集中的数字化方法及其局限性没有得到很好的记录。此外，推动数字化的组织需求以及这些需求对数字化期间作出的决定和对产出的处理的影响往往被遗漏。这给数据集的解释带来了问题，包括它们的可靠性和准确性。这些问题对学者或文物保护者都具有重大意义，因为它们支持对记录的特征和变化的评估和解释。维多利亚和阿尔伯特博物馆(V&A)打算将数字化技术纳入其加强的收藏品信息提供中。因此，人们对开发支持人工制品有意识的数字化的协议和技术感兴趣。这涉及记录数字化过程和结果数据集的决定、可靠性和准确性。对有意识的文物数字化感兴趣的文物收藏是V&A的大规模复制品收藏。这是因为这些藏品面临的挑战包括：i)由于其规模和获取困难，它们的数字化；以及ii)有效地利用产生的数据集来研究和保存它们。V&A的大型复制品大多是通过铸造制作的，这在19世纪被广泛用作传播艺术品的一种手段。一个值得注意的例子是维多利亚与阿尔卑斯博物馆标志性的图拉真专栏的演员阵容。最初的图拉真专栏自公元113年创建以来一直矗立在罗马图拉真论坛。30米高的柱子讲述了图拉真在公元101-106年间在达契亚(即现在的罗马尼亚)的战役。目前的理解表明，V&A演员阵容是根据拿破仑三世于1862年委托制作的另一份复制品创作的。自1873年在V&A安装以来，演员们一直暴露在Cast Courts画廊内的环境条件下。因此，面板会对金属固定装置和骨架造成广泛的腐蚀，导致面板前表面的持续破坏和材料损失。这项计划的目的是整合先进的数字化技术和标准，以支持V&A收集的大型建筑复制品的保护。这将通过以下方式实现：i)开发将先进的成像和可视化技术纳入收藏文件的方法；ii)记录在创建复制品和数据集时做出的决定的证据；以及iii)制定质量指标，以帮助解释和可视化考虑到数据集的固有局限性的人工制品。这项研究将使用图拉真圆柱铸件来探索上述问题，并提高对其制造和状况的了解，包括多年来由于环境条件而导致的人工制品形状的变化。有趣的是，欧洲各地有不同的图拉真柱复制品，可以进行潜在的比较，以支持它们的交叉研究和对它们保存状态的了解。

Advanced digitisation techniques allow the recording of the shape as well as other optical and physical properties of artefacts to a degree of accuracy. As such, techniques such as 3D scanning, photogrammetry, X-rays and Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) enable new ways to document artefacts and their conditions. Previous studies indicate that these techniques often result in datasets in which the digitisation method and its limitations are not well documented. In addition, the organisational needs which prompted the digitisation and the impact of those needs on decisions made during digitisation and the processing of the outputs are often missing. This poses problems for the interpretation of the datasets, including their reliability and accuracy. These issues are of major significance to both the scholar or conservator as they support the assessment and interpretation of recorded features and changes.The Victoria and Albert museum (V&A) intends to incorporate digitisation techniques into its enhanced offering of information about its collections. As such, there is an interest in the development of protocols and techniques which support the conscious digitisation of artefacts. This involves the documentation of decisions, reliability and accuracy of the digitisation process and resulting datasets. A collection of artefacts which is of interest to the conscious digitisation of artefacts is the V&A's collection of large scale reproductions. This is because the collection present challenges including i) their digitisation, due to their scale and difficulty of access; and ii) effectively using the resulting dataset for their study and conservation.Large scale reproductions at the V&A are mostly produced by casting which was extensively used in the 19th century as a means to disseminate artworks. A remarkable example is the cast of the iconic Trajan's column at the V&A. The original column has stood in the Trajan's Forum, Rome, since its creation in A.D. 113. The 30m high column tells the story of Trajan's campaigns in Dacia (modern Romania) between AD 101-106. Current understanding suggests that the V&A cast was created from another copy commissioned by Napoleon III in 1862. Since its installation at the V&A in 1873, the cast has been exposed to the environmental conditions within the Cast Courts gallery. As a result, panels present extensive corrosion of metal fixings and armatures causing on-going disruption and loss of material from the front surfaces of the panels.The aim of this project is to integrate advanced digitisation techniques and standards to support the conservation of the V&A's collection of large scale architectural reproductions. This will be achieved by i) developing methods to incorporate advanced imaging and visualisation techniques into the documentation of the collection; ii) documenting evidence of decisions made in the creation of reproductions and datasets; and iii) developing quality indicators that assist the interpretation and visualisation of the artefact under consideration of the dataset's inherent limitations. The research will use the Trajan Column cast to explore the issues mentioned above and to improve the understanding of its manufacturing and its condition including changes in the shape of the artefact due to environmental conditions over the years. Of interest is the fact that there are different reproductions across Europe of the Trajan Column which can potentially be compared to support their cross-study and the understanding of their state of conservation.