Digitizing Stonehenge Part I

I spent this inaugural Family Day with my archeo-astronomy kin.

In preparation for the digital history sky exhibit, my group met last Monday to construct Stonehenge - on a scale of 1:50. We spent about three hours molding the clay into the stones that made up the original design. Our model is in the beginning stages. We plan to cut the board into a circle, decorate it with moss, green felt, druids, and sheep (of course, they will be authentic Neolithic sheep).

Our goal is to develop an interface that viewers can use to learn more about Stonehenge while using our model as a starting point. I'm talking buttons, lights, animation, and FACTS! Viewers will be able to push a button and a corresponding light on the model will light up and the laptops will display a cleverly designed animation and/or an interesting fact that relates to the light on the model. The button/light topics will include the summer solstice sunrise, the winter solstice sunset, the stones themselves, Neolithic culture/people, and Neolithic religion.

I will keep you updated on the progress of our exhibit!

Looking to the sky

My digital history class has been working to develop an interactive exhibit for display at UWO in April. We've decided on the "sky" as the overall theme for the project and there will be four displays that correspond to the sky in some way or another. Our goal is to show how history/a topic can be combined with facets of the digital world to create an interesting and interactive display.

My group is looking at Archeo-astronomy and more specifically, Stonehenge. We are hoping to create both a digital and actual model that will show viewers how the sun reacts to the ancient creation.

Other topics include comets, constellations, and flying machines and satellites.

I'm really looking forward to seeing it come together as an overall exhibit. Stay tuned to the website and my blog for more information!