 Hello, everyone. My name is Hannah Rice. I work at the Eastrider Archives, which is based at the Treasure House in the lovely market town of Beverly. It's such a privilege to be able to talk to you today about one of our digital engagement workshops called Archives in 3D, which combines historical reconstruction with the creative reuse of archives and local studies collections and also 3D modelling. 3D modelling is such a multidisciplinary tool, and it draws upon skills from outside of archives and the wider heritage sector. I intend to talk a bit about this multidisciplinary nature and how we at the Eastrider Archives have combined the collections with the 3D, and I'll explain some of the practicalities and also the impact of this series of workshops. So, just to give you all a bit of context to these workshops, hopefully you might all be aware this year is Hull City of Culture 2017, and it's a huge, exciting thing for the city of Hull and also the wider Eastriding region. I must admit, lots of kudos should go to the Hull History Centre in particular for archiving this amazing year, as it really is our chance to show off our culture and our heritage and to get our communities involved in workshops and events throughout the year. The Eastriding Yorkshire Council is a principal partner with the Hull City of Culture initiative. We were making contributions towards the events programme. For us at the Eastrider Archives, one of our contributions was Archives in 3D, aimed at celebrating Hull and Eastriding heritage through our collections. So, what exactly is Archives in 3D? Well, Archives in 3D are full day workshops teaching people how to create their own historical reconstructions of our local built heritage using our collections. So, if you've ever seen those reconstructions in programmes such as Time Team, now those are the types of outputs that we were hoping to teach people exactly how to do themselves. So, 3D modelling is something that I've personally been doing for about eight years outside of my life in archives, and I was more than happy to bring this skill in and facilitate these workshops. So, we've done three workshops so far, each with a different architectural theme. So, the first session that we did was focused on the historical architecture of Beverly, which is where our archives are based, and for the two Hull City of Culture workshops, those are based on medieval Tudor and Elizabethan Hull and Eastriding. For these, we focused on buildings that were currently undergoing either highly publicised excavation work or restoration work as part of the Hull 2017 year. These were buildings such as Hull's Beverly Gate and also King Henry VIII's Hull Castle. So, why exactly digital 3D modelling? Well, 3D modelling in its digital form is the process of creating a graphic representation of something that appears three-dimensional, but it's presented on a two-dimensional surface, such as a computer screen. So, as you can see from this video here, they can be highly interactive, you can actually zoom into your model, you can rotate around it, you can annotate it, and you can even walk around it if you've got the correct technologies or applications. So, for example, when combined with virtual reality headsets or augmented reality applications on tablet devices, they can provide really immersive experiences. Your creations can also be quite easy to disseminate. So, for example, you can share your models on the web using platforms such as Sketchfab, and Sketchfab will allow you to embed your 3D models onto your web pages, your social media posts, and also your blogs. So, other people can actually view and interact with the 3D models that you create. Now, something that I was particularly keen to get across in these workshops was that 3D modelling skills transcend across different disciplines outside of archives and heritage. So, the skills used in 3D modelling can be seen in the design, engineering and construction industry, most notably in the form of computer-aided design models or buildings information models, which are all very precise, mathematically-based type models. The entertainment industry is also known for the use of computer-generated imagery within films, video games, and also animations. But more recently, however, the heritage sector, in particular museums and archaeology, have also used such technologies as storytelling devices for the reconstruction and the communication of people and places from the past. So, you can also engage people with at-risk heritage or inaccessible heritage using these tools. So, you may have seen such reconstructions presented in historical documentaries, in publications, either offline and printed publications or online, or on interactive screens at heritage sites and museums. So, and just as 3D draws upon skills from multiple disciplines, I was really keen to get across in these workshops to our participants that the 3D models that we create during the session can also have multiple end-users. So, they could be included within your own historical documentary that you're creating. It could be your own standalone artwork or even featured within your own animation or a video game. So, you can take a more artistic or an academic approach to the creation of your model. You can craft your model to support or visualise an academic theory. Also, during the workshop, I had example 3D prints on show, just as in the first image there on the left of one of our local built heritage, called the North Bar in Beverly. Now, this was to show that you could create something really tangible from this digital 3D modelling process. So, these are ideal for educational sessions, object handling, or if you're just like a piece of history sitting on your desk. So, the process of 3D modelling, when combined with archives, is quite important as it gets you to piece together every bit of historical evidence in order to formulate a picture or your interpretation. So, every object that you model on the screen comes from a decision made from interpreting the archives. So, when it actually came to the delivery of these workshops, I was really keen to vary up a bit with some talks and also some interactivity. So, the day was split into two main parts. In the morning, I would give an introductory talk, firstly, on the digital heritage applications of 3D modelling, and I'd give some examples of the potential of the skills that I was going to be teaching our class, hopefully without scaring anyone off. So, I'd then bring it back to the archives and then show everyone some documents that I've got out on display relating to the buildings that we were going to be reconstructing. And I'd then explain exactly how to research or conduct research within our archives and explain what types of records are suitable for historical reconstruction type projects. And then part two was about putting this theory into practice using the free 3D modelling software called Blender. Now, in this part, I would lead an interactive tutorial on the free 3D modelling basics, where altogether, step by step, we reconstruct a building which is represented within our collections, such as Hull's Beverly Gate or Henry VIII's Hull's Castle, for example. So, in the archives in 3D workshops, participants would not only be learning how to create something in 3D, so they'd be developing their digital skills, they would also be learning about architectural and local history. They'd develop their interpretation skills and they'd also become more familiar with our service as an archive. So, they'd learn how to use our online catalogue and also to conduct research within our collections. So, it really is this multifaceted learning experience for our participants. So, there is this interest in creating historical reconstructions and architectural reconstructions with some level of accuracy. And this is where archives can really help with some of those facts which you can translate into your digital world using the 3D modelling process. So, speaking of that process, this here is an overview of the process that I was teaching our participants all the way from the initial research stage through to the final outcome. So, you begin by gathering research material and reference material within archives and local studies in order to find visual and intellectual evidence to inform your 3D reconstruction. So, for example, maps and town plans can provide you with an idea of the layout of the geography in the terrain that you're constructing. A bit more of a challenge, but descriptions found in correspondence and letters can help you piece together what a place looked like at one point in time, as well as more visual material such as photographs, postcards and also illustrations. And for architectural reconstructions, building plans are really ideal for modelling ground plans and also elevations. So, you can either work from hard copies or, for anything visual, it is better to obtain digital versions that you can actually import directly into your 3D modelling software. So, once you've created your model, it will then be ready for use. Again, you've got the 3D printed tangible elements and you've also got some digital outcomes of your model for use in educational context or entertainment context. So, I'm now going to show you a quick clip of the modelling process in action. I felt it would be a lot more easier to do this and show you a live 3D modelling demonstration. So, here's King Henry VIII's castle on the east bank of the river hull, modelled in blender software. So, this is the exact process that our participants followed in the modelling tutorials. As you can see, it's a little bit like dot-to-dot. So, we've imported our digital image. In this case, it's a ground plan from our collections and we're now placing points around the plan outline in order to formulate our object. Now, 3D models are made up of polygon objects. They've got points, edges and faces. And in order to form our reconstruction, we need to manipulate these points, edges and faces. So, hull castle is made up of two blockhouses, a central castle and two curtain walls. Now, each of these architectural features will need to be modelled as a separate component so you can manage the modelling of each feature a lot more easier. And if you do need to go back and edit anything, you can quite easily do so. So, it's always important to bear in mind how you construct your model will affect the outcome. It is a very time-consuming process, so it's best to know your aims before you begin, such as knowing exactly what you intend your 3D model to do, what you would like this reconstruction to communicate, who exactly is the audience and also what technologies are required to actually present this model once you've completed it. So, the model in this video is plain and untextured. The next step would be to find out exactly what materials King Henry VIII's castle would have been constructed from. So, to do this, we would need to investigate just a bit further in the archives, perhaps see if there's any archaeological records of materials which were used at the site. And we could then apply a photographic texture or a digitally-painted texture to this model in order to bring it to life. Now, if we're feeling really ambitious, we could even look into populating our model with some human figures. However, a word of caution always be wary of the Yung Cani Valley effect when placing humans into our models as it's quite difficult to do and to get it realistic. So, we've done free workshops so far and the promotion of the two city of culture workshops was particularly helped by the city of culture marketing. And it really pushed out the events to more people to the point where I actually didn't get round to doing a press release as both of the events filled up in the space of two weeks. So, what I was particularly pleased at was the diverse range of participants, each of their own reason for attending. And I think it was possibly due to us combining the 3D with the archives, with 3D as something that's not normally associated with archives or archives outreach. So, we had academics from the local university who were very interested in digital modelling as a tool to portray their research in a more accessible or visual format. We had a few council employees, one from the education team, the library service and also another from IT. And I must admit it's quite reassuring to have someone from your council IT attend a digital workshop on a Saturday as you never quite know how the technology will behave on the day. So, it was nice for him to attend. We also had 3D modelling enthusiasts who had never visited an archive before and who came just looking for training in a new piece of software. We had staff from other archives services interested in digital engagement and we also had a participant attend some advice on how we could develop his own model of his local village church. So, it's really great to see that this digital modelling attracted such a wide range of participants all from different backgrounds for professional and personal reasons. So, the general feedback was also very positive. Participants said they'd develop new skills, both technical and interpretation, and that they actually enjoyed seeing original documents in a digital workshop. They really liked that contrast. Most of all, they said they enjoyed the session and they had fun. Now, as well as digital skills, the actual model creation process was also a learning experience in its own right. As participants were learning about the buildings that they were reconstructing, down to the individual windows and materials and architectural features and terminology. So, to learn about this, whilst also learning about the wider historical context and engaging with the original documents. So, this really helped meet the City of Culture initiative of promoting our heritage and our culture and educating about it, as well. Now, another important point to make was that those who were fresh to the archives now became more aware of our service and what we provide. They mentioned an awareness that archives are not just for academic research of family history, which is quite an emphasis in our local authority archive. But they are also a trove of information which you can harness for creative type projects. So, in terms of improvements, those are based around having the workshops as multiple day sessions, as it's quite a lot of information to take in all at once. But everybody took home a digital model, after all, complete in the tutorial. So, it was very rewarding for everyone to actually reflect on these digital creations that they had created within the space of just a few hours. So, as a service, what have we learned? We've learned that these types of workshops have taken a lot of planning and a lot of experimentation. I had to start my planning quite early as I had to research content for the modelling and find documents in the archives which are suitable for a beginner's class in historical reconstruction. I also had to give the digital modelling tutorial a run-through myself several times and to document every single click of a button, which is something that you really don't think about when you're so used to working with a piece of software. Another important point is for the city of culture workshops, I made use of a volunteer who was invaluable during the interactive tutorial stage and I had previously given them a tutorial for training. But the more people who can help out the better really to ensure that all the participants keep on track during the tutorial stage, I felt that this was something that was missing from the initial pilot workshop. Another important point to make is that we've learned that by us providing all of the equipment ready to go is a lot simpler than a bring-your-own-device format. We used a bring-your-own-device format in the very first workshop and came about lots of difficulties with version control of the software that was installed on people's devices. Some of the buttons were in different places and of course Mac versions are slightly different to Windows versions. There was also the additional costs for us hiring a pat tester for the day. We changed this for the next two workshops. In the workshops where we provided the laptops ourselves, the only thing that was unexpected but we will know for the future is when people bring in their own specialist equipment such as a specialist mouse. Thankfully on the day that participant knew exactly what button corresponded to what, but it's something that we will know to anticipate in the future. What next for these workshops? We're really wanting to harness this increasing interest in hull and east riding from the City of Culture year. Hull has just received a huge financial investment to regenerate a lot of their maritime heritage. So our next plan at the East Ride Archives will hopefully be more digital workshops promoting the maritime heritage of the region. So we're thinking coastal forts, lighthouses and there's also this opportunity to reach out to maritime enthusiasts as physical model making is actually extremely popular in the maritime scene. So we might actually attract some model makers to the sessions. So it would be great for us to tap into this audience pool. It would be very new for us and something interesting to explore next year. So just to summarise my talk, Archives in 3D is all about teaching historical reconstruction using a medium that transcends multiple disciplines and which also has multiple end-users from academia through to art. For our participants, this 3D modelling process in itself was a whole learning experience where you can digitally piece together a visual interpretation of a historical building or a place from the past based on the intellectual and visual evidence shown within the archives. So you really do get to become familiar with the historical scene that you're recreating down to each individual architectural feature. And for us as a service, this multidisciplinary approach allowed us to attract such a wide variety of participants, some of whom who had never stepped into an archive before. So it's really great that we could give other people this toolkit to go and create their own visualisations themselves whilst hopefully inspiring them to visit an archive at some point in the future. Thank you.