The importance of the aura, the metaphysical element that gives art, artifacts, and other objects of cultural heritage their authenticity, has been heavily contemplated ever since the publication of Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." This thesis strives to add to this conversation and expand upon it by delving into the emergence of additive manufacturing, or what is more commonly known as 3D printing, and its relation to museums and other institutions that comprise the public humanities. This technology challenges the auratic properties of an exhibit by first digitizing it onto a computer by scanning it and then uploading this data to a 3D printer, which then proceeds to replicate the scanned exhibit down to incredibly fine details. For museums the possibility that 3D printed replicas, increasingly able to be indistinguishable from the original and capable of being produced in great numbers at ease, replacing their auratic exhibits is a very real possibility to consider. This thesis argues that some museums are responding by despatializing their exhibitions in order to uphold their auratic exhibits, while others are offsetting the potential loss by turning their exhibitions into tactile, multisensory experiences. Either option, which are not mutually exclusive, transforms the traditional museum. This thesis ultimately concludes that it's possible to reconcile the auratic exhibit with the 3D printed replica should these institutions properly adapt. Doing so will allow them to continue fulfilling their mission statements to preserve and promote the auratic exhibits well into the future. / Master of Arts / The emergence of 3D printing in recent years has brought with it many implications for not just society, but also the museums and other institutions that comprise the public humanities. Along with printing out objects designed entirely within a computer, 3D imaging and printing technology can easily process scanned objects that have been digitized onto a computer and then reproduce that object while accurately mimicking the specific features that once made it unique. As they increasingly improve in their ability to print with more and more materials, distinguishing the original from its copies from sight alone brings with it an existential dilemma for museums that rely on the authenticity of the original to draw visitors. If everyone could potentially have their own life-size copy of David thanks to a 3D printer, what fate awaits the original David? This thesis will detail this possible development and how exhibitions are responding. Arguing that some museums are in fact utilizing 3D printers outside the halls of their institutions in order to uphold their original collections, while others are offsetting the potential loss by embracing the reproducibility 3D printers provide to allow visitors to touch and interact with 3D printed copies in multisensory exhibitions. Either option, which are not mutually exclusive, transforms the traditional museum going experience. This thesis ultimately concludes that it’s possible to reconcile the original with a perfectly mimicked copy should these institutions properly adapt, allowing them to fulfill their missions to preserve and promote the originals well into the future.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/83543 |
| Date | 13 June 2018 |
| Creators | Walton, James Andrew |
| Contributors | Material Culture and Public Humanities, Ansell, Aaron, Scott, Rachel M., Britt, Brian M. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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