Assyrian Relief Project

The stone reliefs, which are around 3000 years old, were once decorated with colored pigments, long since lost through the ages. Professor Jim Higginbotham (Associate Professor of Classics on the Henry Johnson Professorship Fund, Associate Curator for the Ancient Collection in the Museum of Art, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Classics) worked with Paul Benham to reconstruct the original coloration of the reliefs using historical records and scientific analysis of pigment remnants to guide the color choices.

Jim projects the colored map onto the assyrian relief as visitors watch.

Once a color palette had been agreed upon a high powered projector was positioned in front of the relief of Apkallu (the Winged Spirit) which projected colored light onto the surface of the stone mimicking the original pigments. Using the MadMapper projection mapping software each element of the relief was carefully picked out and given the appropriate color. The end result was an exhibit that was convincing enough to fool many visitors into thinking that the Assyrian relief had been painted.

Paul Benham in front of projection software on computer points to the projection on the relief. — AT&C's Paul Benham explains the process to students in Professor Higginbotham's class.

The relief shown with the colors projected on it. — The completed reliefs with projection. The color appears painted on the surface, but is in fact produced in software and "painted on" with light from a high intensity digital projector.