Labyrinth of Versailles: Out of Storage into VR: New Work By: Copper Giloth
In June 2019, Copper Giloth spent a week in one of the storage facilities at the Château de Versailles taking 25,000 photographs of remnants from the Labyrinth, which was built in the gardens of the château in 1665 and removed in 1775. Working with an assistant and her collaborators John F. Dubach and Jonathan Tanant, Giloth inspected and photographed the precious few remnants of the 39 fountains that once existed in the Labyrinth. These lead fountain sculptures were originally painted with brilliant colors, but now only traces remain. Using photogrammetry* software, they digitally reconstructed these remnant objects and placed them in their original context within Giloth’s VR Labyrinth of Fables App. This has enabled them to more accurately scale the 3D reconstruction of the Labyrinth as a whole and to experiment with strategies to integrate the historical data with the 2D and 3D digital information. This exhibition functions as a progress report as Giloth moves toward recreating this magical space as it once was in 17th century Versailles. Come to the exhibition and take your turn experiencing the Labyrinth using a HTC Vive Pro virtual reality headset in a walkable space. *Photogrammetry is a technique of making measurements from photographs. The input to photogrammetry is photographs, and the output is typically a map, a drawing, a measurement, or a 3D model of some real-world object or scene.
About the Artist
Copper Frances Giloth is currently Professor of Art at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, having joined the faculty in 1985. She currently teaches courses in Digital Media, Information Design, Mobile Apps and Drawing. Giloth’s projects take the form of drawings, books, animations, videos, websites and installations. Her work has been exhibited in the U.S., Japan, Canada, and across Europe. She is featured in New Media Futures: The Rise of Women in the Digital Arts (2018) published by the University of Illinois Press. In July 2014 she released “Labyrinth-of-Fables,” a 3D virtual reality mobile app that allows users to experience the Labyrinth of Versailles—which was constructed starting in 1665 and destroyed in 1775. Her new HTC Vive VR version was released in February 2020 improving upon earlier versions and incorporating her recent digital models of the 37 labyrinth remnants created with photogrammetry software. Her series of laser cut prints, “Alphabet Gestures,” were shown at Odetta Gallery, New York, in April–May 2018 during Creative Tech Week. Her research papers can be found at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Copper_Giloth2
Contact
Procheta Olson
Phone:
(413) 545-0976
Email:
polson@umass.edu