3DPI readers may remember hearing about the Veronica Scannerearlier this year, when its Madrid-based creators Factum Arte announced that it would be installed in London’s Royal Academy of Arts (RA) for an exhibition in September. Moving on from London, the Veronica Scanner is going to be housed at Waddesdon Manor during half-term, offering visitors a unique 3D printed portraiture experience in the stately homes’ Coach House Gallery.
In contrast to the RA exhibition, Waddesdon Manor’s old stables give the Veronica Scanner a decidedly more rural setting, seemingly at odds with the futuristic technology. However, as the booklet accompanying the exhibit explains,photogrammetryis not as contemporary a process as it first appears with roots that go back to the invention of photography in 1839. A date even earlier than the construction of Waddesdon Manor which took place between 1874 and 1889. As theVeronica Live 3D Portraiture Booklet(PDF) explains:
Within a few years of the invention of photography, François Willème, in Paris, developed his ‘ingenious devices’ to create photosculpture. He placed a sitter on a circular platform surrounded with 24 equally spaced cameras which, when triggered at the same time, created 24 silhouettes that together described a complete head. The Veronica Chorographic Scanner is a digital variation of Willème’s setup that uses photogrammetry to form a 3D model.
Theartists, technicians and conservatorswho developed the Veronica are a teamdedicated todigital mediationin art. Operating under the nameFactum Artethe group are responsible for installing an exact replica of Tutankahmun’s tomb in a building at the entrance to the Valley of the Kings, and modelling Justo Gallego Martínez, the former monk who is building his own cathedral in Madrid, as seen below.
When you take a look at the models the Veronica and 3D printers, provided by iMakr and MyMiniFactory, are capable of producing, the interactive exhibition promises to be as much fun for children as it is for adults – providing they can stand still of course.
Featured image shows inside the Veronica Scanner from Factum Arte. Photo via: David Parry
