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Creative expression through tangible narrative: How 3D printing may complement our pedagogical investigation of heritage

At first glance the academic environments of Classical Studies and Industrial Design have little in common. However, on closer inspection, there is a great deal of overlap, specifically insofar as both disciplines focus on the physical artefact. Industrial Designers study society to influence the composition and construction of an artefact. Classical historians, especially those concerned with the analysis of physical artefacts, use artefacts to construct an idea or vision of the people and life of the period they study. With this relationship in mind, the two disciplines may develop new methodology and build bodies of knowledge that are of great value to one another. This project uses digital processes including 3d modelling and additive manufacturing to intersect the disciplines through creativity in making and storytelling, asking questions on how we communicate, and providing greater depth to our findings.Undergraduate first year classical studies students were tasked with recontextualising a classical myth in a modern context and interpreting this new myth as a 2-dimensional tableau onto a provided paper template. This image was then mapped to a 3d model of an ancient artefact and 3d printed using colour capable Additive Manufacturing techniques through an online 3d printing service, Shapeways.The resulting creative process allowed students to explore contemporary issues and their own identities, using ancient myths both as stories and as tools to think about society and culture, thereby translating classical myths into a modern context. In antiquity, Greek vases had a crucial role as social media, since the mythical scenes decorating ancient vases were often used to reflect historical events or social preoccupations, and they were made to provoke discussion and debate. The best of the students’ designs made use of the myths as a vehicle for reflecting on social comment and on their own experience. In future we would like to repeat the experiment to evaluate the learning experience and explore the project as a virtual or augmented reality experience that allows digital visitors to examine and study the student work.