February 13, 2015, by Claire
‘The Grandest Views’, a new exhibition opens in Keswick
An exhibition entitled ‘The Grandest Views: Models of Lakeland from Victorian Times to the Present Day’ created by Dr Gary Priestnall from the School of Geography has just opened in Keswick, Cumbria.
Displays draw upon an exploration of a set of negative plaster moulds from a large physical landscape model of the Lake District based ‘mathematically’ on Ordnance Survey maps, created by Henry Mayson in Keswick in 1875.
The work at the University of Nottingham has drawn together expertise in 3D scanning led by Katharina Lorenz in the Digital Humanities Centre (Department of Classics) and in 3D printing and milling led by Sarah Thomas in the Centre for 3D Design, School of Architecture and the Built Environment.
The exhibition will convey the detail of the original model through digitally ‘milled’ 3D models, some of which are supplemented by handcrafted surface textures and raised above a floor map. This map, created in collaboration with Ordnance Survey, represents the original scale of the Mayson model which covered 14 feet by 15 feet. Historical objects on display include original Ordnance Survey maps used to create the model, posters, the commissioning letter, and a small sample model from 1875.
Visitors will be introduced to the capabilities of digital landscape modelling including an animated fly-through and a section of reconstructed model enhanced through projection from above. The overarching message from this part of the exhibition is that although digital landscape models offer exciting capabilities, they struggle to provide such an effective and engaging overview of a landscape as offered by a physical model, and that relief models should still have an important part to play in helping people understand a landscape today.
The background to the exhibition is described here: https://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/pressoffice/2015/01/15/the-grandest-views/
The ‘Grandest Views’ exhibition can be seen at Keswick Museum & Art Gallery until Sunday 17th May 2015: https://www.facebook.com/KeswickMuseumandArtGallery
I visited ‘The Grandest Views’ with some friends yesterday and thoroughly recommend it if you’re in the area. The floor map was fantastic and we enjoyed the challenge of finding the remaining pieces in your puzzle but failed to make any progress – pleased to hear from museum staff that other visitors have been more helpful!
You are so cool! I do not believe I have read through anything like that before.So wonderful to find someone with some unique thoughts on this topic.
Seriously.. thank you for starting this up.