DJW were invited by Haley Sharpe Design to help deliver their vision of virtual interpretation at the Archaearium, which is a 5000sqft interpretation centre on the archaeological discoveries at Jamestown Fort, the site of the first British Settlement in Virginia.
David Willrich, managing director of DJW says: "We were very excited to be involved in this project. The idea of a virtual viewer is not new, but the marriage of 3D graphics on a live view and being able to explore it interactively is. It is only recently that computers have become powerful enough and cheap enough to make this possible. The Archaearium has clear views of the former site of the Fort and Haley Sharpe were keen to provide interactive interpretation of the live view, which lead to the birth of the virtual viewer."
Visitors are able to explore the Fort using the viewer, as they move the viewer across the view they will discover hotspots i.e. buildings or structures of significant interest. On selecting a hotspot, a virtual flyover is started to show the selection in context with the rest of the fort, complete with a commentary explaining its significance. This is followed by a short video sequence that then shows the archaeology that verifies the position and type of structure.
DJW worked closely with APVA (Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities) archaeologists to ensure the historical accuracy of the information of the viewer. The APVA were thrilled with the results of the project, saying: '"The play between the interior and the exterior space is beyond our dreams...this original treatment of the story will be a first in innovative museum exhibit design...the results are spectacular!"
(Chris Henry)
