PLUMES AND PIXELS

During a project focused on digitizing specimens from the Academy's collection, a unique artifact was discovered – a vintage headwear adorned with a bird of paradise. This exquisite piece, produced in the early 20th century, exemplifies the era's complex aesthetic of elegance and excess, which often came at the cost of the natural world.Digital Media graduate students, including master's and PhD candidates, under the supervision of professors Emil Polyak and Kathi Martin, undertook the challenge of creating a digital twin of this specimen using advanced computational photography and 3D reconstruction. The goal of producing a high-quality digital twin for interactive viewing was accomplished, capturing the intricate details and color of this historic headwear fashioned from a once-living creature. The artistic creations showcased in this exhibition are the expressive byproducts of the digital acquisition process, which led the students to explore their emotional and perceptual responses through various media."Plumes and Pixels" provides a window into the artists' creative journeys as they worked intimately with this remarkable artifact.
Join us at Kennett Library for the opening presentation, where we will discuss our innovative digital twinning process for museum documentation and display, as well as the artistic interpretations inspired by the intriguing combination of ornament and sacrifice manifested in this iconic vintage fashion accessory.Artists: Arefeh Ahmadi, Rghad Balkhyoor, and Darren Woodland, Jr.