In a groundbreaking initiative, the TORCH (Technological Enlightenment to Preserve and Explore Regional Cultural Heritage) project, funded with approximately 10.7 million DKK by the EU's Interreg Deutschland-Danmark program, redefines our understanding of historical colours and artefacts.
This multidisciplinary venture, steered by Associate Professor Jacek Fiutowski from SDU Nanophotonics, is preserving our cultural heritage and bringing it to life with unprecedented vibrancy.
In collaboration with Kiel University, the TORCH team equips conservators and museum professionals with cutting-edge tools, enhancing their capabilities and broadening their perspectives. For instance, Lise Ræder Knudsen, director of Konserveringscenter Vejle, leverages these technologies to analyze treasures like the Danefæ and Viking Age artefacts.
A striking example of TORCH's impact is reimagining Ribe's historical palette. Contrary to the belief that sombre hues dominated Ribe's houses, the project discovered a vivid array of reds, blues, greens, and even gold, changing our perception of the past.
Beyond aesthetic revelation, TORCH aims to create augmented reality experiences, allowing tourists to traverse historical Ribe visually. This initiative is part of a more significant effort to foster Danish-German collaboration, integrating fields like engineering, chemistry, and computer science to reconstruct history digitally.
The project's scope extends to intriguing endeavours like exploring the Fæsted Treasure and delving into the Stone Age DNA analysis, promising new insights into our shared past.
Thanks to the partners: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Newtec Engineering, LLC A/S, and Museum für Archäologie
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