The Foundation of the Hellenic World (FHW), Athens` pre-eminent cultural institution, has signed a multi-million dollar deal with SGI which will breathe new life into Greek history and culture. The Foundation has established a three-part virtual reconstruction programme at its `Hellenic Cosmos` Cultural Centre in Athens which is scheduled to culminate in the year 2000 with the establishment of a DOME virtual reality theatre. This is expected to be the largest of its kind in Europe and the setting for some of the biggest virtual heritage projects ever developed.
The first stage of the programme is the virtual reconstruction of ancient Miletus on an ImmersaDesk (running on a Silicon Graphics(R) Octane(R)) and was opened to the public in April 1999. Full-scale 3D models of the Ionic Stoa, the Delfinion Sanctuary and the Hellenistic Gymnasium are already in production. Visitors to the centre are guided around the 'city` (shown on the 2m x 2.38m bench) wearing stereoscopic glasses, controlling their own movement and direction.
"This represents a genuinely ground-breaking step for the cultural world" says Maria Roussou, co-ordinator of the Virtual Reality team at the Foundation. "This level of technology is not usually seen outside of research laboratories or heavy industry. For us to bring it to a wider audience in this way will have a major impact on the future of cultural institutions around the world. Our goal at the Foundation is to create a forum for archaeologists, historians, scientists and artists to use state-of-the-art technology and resources for research into Hellenic cultural heritage."
Dimitris Efraimoglou, Head of the Systems and Interactive Applications Sector at the Foundation, continues: "Virtual reality is a novel and innovative tool which allows us, through its applications, to experience abstract concepts and ideas, and visit places that are unreachable or no longer exist. We knew that SGI was the only company able to supply the level of technology, quality and support that our programme required."
"For centuries, archaeologists and historians have faced an awesome challenge," adds Afshad Mistri, interactive entertainment market manager for SGI`s Advanced Media Products Division. "Working from little more than the excavated ruins of ancient buildings and fragments of various artefacts, they`ve had to reconstruct what life was like for the citizens of long-dead civilisation. Now we are equipping these researchers with a new set of tools that combines the time-honoured techniques of conventional research with cutting edge 3D computer graphics. This is literally breathing new life into ancient worlds."
The second stage of the programme, due for completion in October 1999, will see the installation of a 3m four-surface CAVE(TM) automatic virtual environment designed to be capable of holding up to ten people (powered by a Silicon Graphics(R) Onyx2(TM) with four InfiniteReality2(TM) visualisation subsystems). It is proposed that this will show a much bigger version of ancient Miletus with the addition of more buildings thus allowing visitors to become totally immersed in their virtual environment. The CAVE environment is designed to be fully interactive providing individual visitors with complete freedom to control their movements and so develop a completely unique interactive experience.
The final stage, the 40-seater (approx.) DOME, is designed to be powered by a Silicon Graphics Onyx2 with seven InfiniteReality2 visualisation subsystems. This is scheduled to open with the start of the next century and take the interactive possibilities of virtual reconstructions to a radically new level with a number of immersive projects which the Foundation is currently developing.
The Foundation of the Hellenic World is a non-profit cultural institution working to promote understanding of Hellenic history and culture.
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