Digital Lab Blog

A collage of two photos. On the left, a Fijian boy and a group of three Fijian girls in traditional dress, pose for a group portrait. On the right, one of the girls from the image on the left poses with a different traditional dress. Behind her, the boy from the image on the left stands smiling. All seem to pose for these photographs after the performance of two dances important to Fijian culture.

Connecting with Culture–thoughts from a UK-based youth

A UK-based Fijian intern shares her experiences of diving deep into culture and tradition through her research and ultimate performance of two Tongan dances, Lakalaka and Tau’olunga .

Adi Lewa Boginisoko

1 August 2023

32 chess pieces from a set made in Mexico, in different shades of brown.

An Unbecoming King: Making Mighty Chessmen in Porfirian Mexico

What can we learn about the social and political past of a nation through their games? Join us as we explore this through games from Mexico’s tumultuous Porfirio Díaz era.

Joshua Fitzgerald and Jonathan Truitt

25 July 2023

A collage of two images. Image on the left shows a tall tiered structure, placed in a high-ceiling hall. Image on the right shows the back of a postcard with a message.

‘I am writing this waiting for the pageant to begin’

A message on the back of a postcard issued for an exhibition organised by the London Missionary Society leads to an examination of the phenomenon of ‘human zoos’ typical of exhibitions at the time.

Maria Chiara Scuderi

18 July 2023

Anthropologists and Photographers: The Poignant and Elliott Collections

A team of four Photographic Collections Assistant reflect on their journey of digitising the Poignant and Elliott collections, featuring photographs of the Pacific, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Photograph Collections

11 July 2023

Rapid 3D Scanning: Is this the Future?

3D scanning was once reserved for experts, but now anyone with a smartphone can create good-quality digital versions of objects around. Is this the future of creative and collaborative museum practice?

Daniel Simpson

4 July 2023

A warm yellow-coloured jug. On its front are engraved the face of a bearded man and a medallion.

Bellarmine or Bartmann Jugs from a Ceramic Maker’s Point of View

How can recreating museum objects enhance our understanding? A ceramic maker explores this through her creative practice, which seeks to enable haptic engagements with museum collections.

Lisa Robson

27 June 2023