Mcintire Dept. of Art Fayerweather Hall Charlottesville, VA
Degree: Ph.D.
Format: CD-ROM
Description:
My dissertation will be presented in hypertext form on CD. The need to present high-quality images of works of art that are not represented in US museums, together with a large amount of (also unfamiliar/not readily available in US) information in easily accessible form dictated the decision to use electronic media. The point of my work is to contextualize or re-contextualize individual works of Celtic art from 6th, 5th and 4th c. BCE tombs, leading to an art-historical analysis of the works informed by archaeological, anthropological and historical considerations. Since this body of material is usually the province of anthropologists (prehistorians), my art-historical readers need access to unfamiliar material. Likewise, my anthropological readers desire art-historical depictions (in color, and, if there's money & time, 3-D), comparisons and analyses.
The URL below is to my dissertation proposal; the site is rather small and easily perused. I have enjoyed a great deal of feedback and interaction with readers with expertise in the field -- a major advantage, since I have no-one local to talk to or to correct my misperceptions about Celtic studies. The final project will not be network-accessible, except locally, because of major problems in terms of copyright permissions etc. with the European museums in question. Given the choice between being allowed to use or take excellent photographs, or being forced to fall back on published images/drawings, I decided in favor of quality images. I see little point in making an art-historical argument about obscure or non-canonical works without excellent images. My efforts are to provide my readers with a visual experience as close as possible to actual confrontation with the works. A problem I am currently grappling with is the 2-D representation of 3-D objects -- helmets, swords, flagons, tomb contexts, etc., and the introduction of human scale into images of objects.
I would be interested in talking to others at U.Va. about solutions they have found to problems endemic at the university -- how they make their digital projects understood and accepted by the faculty adn administration at large, etc. I would also welcome input on the specific imaging issues I've mentioned, and any others that digital imagers would care to discuss. Finally, presenting material in a hypertextual context has made me rethink the nature of linear and non-linear argument and narrative in art history -- that is an issue I would also be interested in discussing.
URL: http://faraday.clas.virginia.edu/~umw8f/Cze/HomePage.html