APOLLO AWARDS APOLLO AWARDS DIGITAL INNOVATION OF THE YEAR DIGITAL INNOVATION OF THE YEAR THE APOLLO AWARDS 2014 1 The facsimile of 2 The Lucida 3D IN ASSOCIatION WITH the sarcophagus of Scanner, developed by Tutankhamun being Manuel Franquelo, can Shortlist moved into the facsimile capture dark, glossy of the burial chamber, surfaces such as in 2014 varnished paintings Photo: © Alicia Guirao Photo: © Alicia Guirao Courtesy Factum Arte Courtesy Factum Arte After Dark www.afterdark.io Tate Britain, London For five nights in August, four robots equipped Factum Foundation ways of doing things for many artists, and the with cameras roamed the galleries of Tate Digital www.factumfoundation.org profits that are made by Factum Arte support Britain and live-streamed their journeys to a the Foundation.’ While Factum Arte can be microsite. A few of the robots’ online observers Since the end of April this year, visitors to the working on about 70 to 100 projects at a time, were also allowed to log in and manoeuvre Innovation Valley of the Kings in Egypt have been able to the Foundation, says Macmillan-Scott, them by remote control. The project was see two versions – the original and a facsimile ‘normally has about 10 projects on the run’ conceived by London-based design studio – of the burial chamber of Tutankhamun. The and works only with ‘advanced technology in The Workers, winners of the first IK Prize of the Year facsimile, made by Factum Arte and funded the conservation of our heritage’. (Tate’s award for digital innovation) in 2014. by its sister organisation Factum Foundation, Tutankhamun’s burial chamber is perhaps From the tomb of Tutankhamun to the arrived in Egypt in November 2012, 90 years the best example so far of how Factum is Art Detective Mappa Mundi, the Factum Foundation is to the month after Howard Carter unsealed documenting works of art with the most www.thepcf.org.uk/artdetective using technology to record and conserve the 3,000-year-old tomb; in spring the copy advanced methods currently available. Public Catalogue Foundation the world’s most fragile artefacts moved to Luxor (Fig. 1), to a site next to The most important element of this strategy Carter’s house, now a museum, which sits is the Lucida 3D Scanner (Fig. 2), which was Art Detective, which launched in March 2014, at the entrance to the Valley. developed by Manuel Franquelo, especially for is a digital network that accompanies the The plan to make a copy and to close the Factum’s work in Egypt. The scanner can Public Catalogue Foundation’s online database original chamber to the public (probably in capture the relief of surfaces, light and dark, of the oil paintings in public ownership in the WRITER FATEMA AHMED 2015) is the result of a collaboration between and a range of finishes. Crucially, it records United Kingdom. It aims to improve knowledge Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, the the data as raw video with its own recording of the UK’s public collections by connecting Society of Friends of the Royal Tombs of Egypt software – so that the information doesn’t members of the public with academic and and the University of Basel; all were have to be exported in a lower resolution trade specialists, hosting discussions online concerned about the deteriorating condition (which is what all other scanners currently in a number of thematic and regional forums. of the open tombs in the Valley. In the case of do). The ability to record surfaces as closely Tutankhamun’s tomb, the presence of as this also allows for a new examination of Building the Picture: Architecture in 1,000 visitors a day was raising humidity fragile paintings and documents by scholars. 1 Italian Renaissance Painting in the chamber, and daily dusting was Last year Factum scanned the Hereford Mappa www.nationalgallery.org.uk removing paint from surfaces. The site was Mundi, which is kept in a sealed glass case National Gallery, London a perfect example of the ongoing conflict that is only opened once every two years. between access and conservation. As James In 2007 it installed a copy of Veronese’s The National Gallery’s first online catalogue Macmillan-Scott, president of the Factum Wedding at Cana (1563), now owned by was written and edited by Amanda Lillie from Foundation explains, ‘When we discovered the Louvre, in its original home of San Giorgio the University of York, with contributions it was being completely destroyed by people di Maggiore in Venice. from Caroline Campbell and Alasdair Flint. going there to enjoy it, the irony of that Remarkably, the Foundation is willing to It was published in April 2014 to accompany seemed to be something that we needed make Factum Arte’s software and hardware the first exhibition in the UK exploring the to deal with.’ available to anyone who wants it. Macmillan- role of architecture in painting – and the first Factum Arte, which is based in Madrid Scott says, ‘We’re not jealous of anything exhibition anywhere to focus on architecture and Bologna, was founded by the British artist and if somebody wants to come along and in Italian Renaissance painting. Adam Lowe in 2001. After success as a painter, copy it, they can.’ Factum is now making a Lowe became interested in the technical facsimile of the tomb of Seti I, which is 50 Vastari challenges of conservation and fabrication times as big as Tutankhamun’s; it has also www.vastari.com and the company he set up with Spanish artist just signed an agreement with the Lebanese Manuel Franquelo now makes work for many government heritage agency to work in Vastari aims to put museum curators and well-known artists, including Anish Kapoor Baalbec. The Foundation is also busy raising private collectors in touch with each other and Marc Quinn. As the company’s profile money to give scanners to museums that want through its searchable, secure database of grew, so did Lowe’s interest in conservation. to record what they have. Macmillan-Scott art works of art. Museum curators can search He set up the Foundation in 2009 and, says, ‘What we’re doing is helping preserve for objects and collectors can make it known according to Macmillan-Scott, the structure wonderful things and if we can get more that they are willing to lend to exhibitions. of the business is simple: ‘Adam is an people to do it, the better…We don’t have The database is available only to registered extraordinarily clever human being who finds to do it ourselves.’ o curators and collectors. 2 46 APOLLO DECEMBER 2014 DECEMBER 2014 APOLLO 47.