Phaidracon

Claudia Feigl

3D Digitisation as a Tool for Object Preservation and Presentation

© digilithic

3D Digitisation plays a crucial role in the conservation of objects - especially sensitive glass objects such as the glass models of marine invertebrates in the Zoological Collection of the University of Vienna, which were created by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka in the late 1880s. Glass is a fragile material that can easily be damaged by external influences. This makes it difficult or even impossible to exhibit glass objects permanently or even temporarily.

3D-Digitisation (photogrammetry and high-resolution 360° photography) is a valuable method for both: conserving delicate glass objects and making them more accessible. By using 3D digital copies, the risk of physical damage to the original objects is minimised. At the same time, digitisation enables a deeper analysis, documentation and interaction with these valuable cultural objects.

The lecture presents the importance of 3D digitisation as a strategy for the documentation and presentation of highly sensitive objects using the example of the Blaschka models, as well as the aspect of archiving and visualisation of the digital files.

About

© Zsolt Marton

Mag.a Claudia Feigl, MAS, studied German Literature and Philosophy at the University of Vienna and completed a Master’s degree in Cultural Management at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. During her studies, she worked in various libraries, archives, and museums in Vienna, focusing on cataloging estates and objects, exhibition design and organization, as well as cultural mediation. She worked, among others, at the Wien Museum, the Literature Archive and Manuscript Collection of the Austrian National Library, and the Austrian Theatre Museum.

Since 2006, she has been employed at the University of Vienna for the coordination and implementation of the project "The Collections at the University of Vienna" and has been the university's Collections Officer since 2010. In addition, since 2018, she has been a lecturer and responsible for the elective module "Special Collections" at the universities of Vienna, Graz, and Innsbruck as part of the university course "Library and Information Studies."