©2011 magyarmuzeumok.hu Minden jog fenntartva.

20/20 The digital theatre binoculars

3D models from the collection of Hungarian Theatre Museum and Institute to see the collections clearly

The website was created within the Múzeumok Majálisa (Mayfest of the Museums) project. The tender wished to support new initiatives in the ways museums present themselves, and also expected the participants to include the number 20 in their projects since the Mayfest project is now 20 years old. The Hungarian Theatre Museum chose to create the 3D digital model of 20 of its objects from 6 of its collections making them available online with explanations in English and Hungarian. The Mayfest visitors of the museum are always keen to take the opportunity to wear theatre costumes, something they are offered to do every year. The photos depicting them this year were also turned into 3D models and are now on display on the website. The aim was to reach out to younger generations, who are more used to and tied to modern technologies. The ultimate purpose is, of course, to encourage younger generations to visit the museum and to call their attention to the richness of the museum’s collection.

Holland táncosnő by szaboate on Sketchfab

Illusion and three-dimensionality have been essential parts of the theatre experience for thousands of years, however digitalisation usually lacks the latter. The purpose this time was to overcome this shortcoming, and the 3D technology looked like a great way to achieve this. During the Mayfest itself, laptops in the museum building were available to enjoy the 3D models, and QR codes were also displayed by which the visitors could also reach the 3D models and could even take them away with themselves.

The 3D models offer an interactive experience: the visitors can turn around the models with the mouse and can enlarge the details with the scroll button. The experience is further enhanced on touch screen devices, since it gives the feel of almost touching the object itself. The museum used photogrammetry to create the models, which basically means a triangle shaped grid onto which the texture of the object is pulled.

Although most of the 3D models are relatively easy to create, objects with reflecting surfaces and more complex hollow structures sometimes deceive computer algorithms. Due to this, some glass object (spectacles, or a ballerina dancing in a glass bell jar) as well as the costumes made of tulle are not possible to be digitalized. The 3D models of visitors wearing costumes were also laborious to create, mostly because the models had to be sitting still while the photographer was taking several pictures of them from a number of different angles. To avoid causing too much inconvenience for the amateur models significantly fewer shots were taken of them and, consequently, their 3D models are rather unrefined which is why they look more cartoon-like.

The models were uploaded on Sketchfab which allows them to be viewed in any mainstream net browser and, similarly to Youtube videos, they can also be embedded easily in a website. Sketchfab also offers access for the world-wide community of model makers, and this way an extremely wide audience can be targeted.

3D models can be created of museum objects as well as of buildings and their interiors. This project allows visitors to enter the hidden parts of the museum building too. On the opening page of the site is a model of a room from the Documetation (Archive) section of the museum. Here the walls are full of folders filled with newspaper articles about drama writers and their plays in alphabetical order. The most popular authors’ folders are digitally coloured and in an annotation on the Sketchfab surface visitors can get more details about the authors and their plays on Hungarian stages. The annotation gets only activated by the click of the mouse (not by hovering) and this way they are also suitable for school quizzes. The museum also digitalized its catalogue and a grid wall that is used to store fine art pieces of the collection.

Cikkarchívum by szaboate on Sketchfab

The website wishes to encourage the strategies of non-linear reading and, at the same time, it offers the chance for the readers to identify links and connections in the history of Hungarian theatre. For example, a 3D model of the old National Theatre building is available. In this building, one of the most famous Hungarian actresses, Gizi Bajor, danced the tarantella with a tambourine in Ibsen’s Nora. The model of the tambourine is now on display under the Props (Kellékek) menu item. In contrast to the black and white pictures from the same period, these colourful models remind us that, on the contrary to our perception, theatre shows fifty or one hundred years ago were also colourful.

Népszinhaz (Nemzeti Színház) by szaboate on Sketchfab

The photo collection of the museum includes stereo photographs too. One hundred and twenty of these were taken of the largest theatre, Vígszínház, in Budapest. Visitors find the 3D model of a stereoscope on the website and, with the help of the animgif technique, the 3D version of the old photos. This way anyone can enter the dressing room of the legendary actors and actresses who played in the theatre in 1911.

As part of a larger European project, there are now plans to create and include the 3D models of puppets in this digital collection. These models could be printed out in 3D, which offers the chance for the museum to produce items for its museum shop. Another plan is to use stereo photos and 3D modelling to reconstruct the space and the visual world of those performances of which videos are not, but a large amount of photos, descriptions, props, sound recordings, costume and scenic design plans are available.

The website is accessible through: www.sites.google.com/site/oszmidigitalismuzeum

The models and the website were created by: Attila Szabó

Project team members: Nóra Berze, Mirella Csiszár, Tamás Halász, Ágnes Huszár, Eszter Papp, Mariann Sipőcz, Emese Stenczel, Tímea Turnai, Andrea Varga.