Digital Archaeology

Since 2015, I have been Director of Technology at The Institute for Digital Archaeology (IDA).

I work with the Institute’s founder and Executive Director, Roger Michel and international partners and collaborators such as UNESCO, and the UK, Swiss, and Italian Permanent Missions to the United Nations on building awareness of innovative technology-driven means to document and preserve heritage material.

I have a particular interest in the photographic study and documentation of cultural heritage objects and the application of 3D printing and machining technologies to the restoration or replication of damaged or destroyed archaeological structures and artefacts. This work combines aspects of applied electromagnetism with electrical, optical, and mechanical engineering, and also involves the development of dialogue about what cultural heritage is, what it means to today’s society, and how we can work as an international community to preserve it. You can read a recent article about my activities in this area here.

In April 2016, I managed the IDA’s installation of a monumental-scale replica of the Triumphal Arch from Syria’s Palmyra site on Trafalgar Square in London. This structure was produced by a combination of photogrammetry-based 3D computer modelling and state-of-the-art 3D machining in stone. You can find out more about the installation here and the manufacturing process here. The event was covered by media organisations across the world — selected articles and documentary footage can be accessed here.

Since then I have managed seven further major public science installations which have, in aggregate, attracted several million visitors:

• New York City, (judged jointly with Christo, Jean-Claude, and JR as the New York Times “most talked about public art installation of the year”), September 2016.
• Dubai, at the World Government Summit, February 2017.
• Florence, with the City of Florence and UNESCO for the 2017 G7 Culture Summit (March 2017).

• Arona, Italy, in collaboration with the local municipality (April to September 2017).

• Washington DC, on the National Mall, in collaboration with the US Congress House Committee on Foreign Affairs, September 2018.

• Geneva, at the invitation of the Swiss Permanent Mission to the United Nations, the City of Geneva, and the Swiss Confederation, April 2019.

• Bern, at the invitation of the National Commission for UNESCO and the City of Bern, June 2019.
• Luxembourg, at the invitation of the National commission for UNESCO and the Government of Luxembourg (ongoing).