PERCEIVE: Perceptive Enhanced Realities of Coloured collEctions through AI and Virtual Experiences

An international collaboration fostering the universal appreciation of coloured works of art

About the Project

PERCEIVE works on new ways to perceive, preserve, curate, exhibit, understand and access fragile, coloured cultural heritage. Using 5 scenarios, we focus on ‘care’, ‘accessibility’ and ‘authenticity’, promoting and expanding access to cultural heritage and its wider integration in society.

Context

PERCEIVE intends to increase appreciation and understanding of coloured works of art, using improved scientific approaches to maximise our visitors’ experience. Working with 10 partners across collections, research institutes, universities and independent specialist groups, we are investigating 5 scenarios: lost colours in polychrome classical sculptures, fading in paintings, changing colours in textiles, changes in historical photos / digital art, Through these, PERCEIVE wants to advance the digital capability of scientists and cultural institutions for the benefit of visitors worldwide.

Aim

The V&A leads the Textiles and Photos scenarios. We are using advanced scientific techniques to investigate two faded textiles, two Elizabethan objects with tarnished metal embroideries, and selected degraded autochromes which show issues including spotting, tanning, greening and fading. Our analyses will characterise the original dyes, the composition of the metal threads, and the structure of the plates in order to understand the degradation pathways and reconstruct the objects’ original appearance.

Outcomes

Heritage science data and results will be more accessible to general and specialist audiences. We will contribute to the development of colour reconstruction and prediction methodologies. We will widen access to and understanding of our coloured collections, increasing audiences’ engagement, and providing more ‘authentic’ experiences. We will develop our audiences’ sense of care for coloured collections. The project will result in new tools and experiences for visitors, designers, art professionals and educators.

The Team

Lucia Burgio

Co-Lead for Scenarios 3 and 4

Dr Lucia Burgio is Lead Conservation Scientist at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, where she manages the V&A Science Lab, leading the analysis and technical examination of museum objects. She assists the Museum’s curators and conservators in the examination and understanding of the objects, and also in their dating, authentication and attribution. She facilitates and participates in collaborative research projects that involve the V&A, but also other collections and institutions. She graduated in Chemistry summa cum laude from the University of Palermo, Italy, and completed a PhD degree in Chemistry at University College London. She has been at the V&A since 2000, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, has been an Honorary Research Fellow at UCL since 2001 and has been chairing the AMC Heritage Science Expert Working Group, Royal Society of Chemistry, since 2014. A recipient of the Theobald Lectureship from the Analytical Methods Committee (RSC), her main interests include pigments and other artists’ materials as well as Asian and American lacquer. Read less

l.burgio@vam.ac.uk