Joost Batenburg (CWI) Awarded NWO Funding for ‘CT For Art’ Project

A project proposal led by Joost Batenburg (CWI), and partnering with Rijksmuseum, has been awarded NWO funding from the Netherlands Institute for Conservation, Art and Science (NICAS). This call of proposals from NICAS had a focus on data science, with four research projects and four seed money proposals awarded.

CT for Art: from Images to Patterns (IMPACT4Art):

Most objects in the collections of cultural history museums can only be observed from the outside. However, the inside of the objects, which we cannot see, often contains a wealth of information about the making of the objects and their condition. Using 3D scanning techniques, such as CT scanning, these hidden traces can be visualized: finger prints of the maker that can be seen inside the clay, tool marks that tell us about the tools that have been used to craft the object, year rings inside wooden panels that can be used for dating, etc.

The standard 3D scanning techniques have never been developed with these applications in mind, and often yield poor image quality when applied to cultural heritage objects. In the IMPACT4Art project, we will develop novel algorithms and software that will enable us to create accurate 3D images of a broad range of museum objects, making scans within the walls of the museum. The software will automatically detect patterns that provide information about the origin and condition of the object. The work will be carried out in close collaboration between data scientists and experts on the museum collection. By applying these techniques to various objects from the Rijksmuseum collection, we will seek answers to questions such as: “we hear something rattling when we shake that statue; what is it?” and “can we discern similar finger prints in a collection of terracotta statues?”.

More info HERE