Conservation-quality 3D scanning platform for commercial art world launched
07/05/2021
Arius Technology Inc, a world-leading art technology company, has partnered with Crozier, a global leader in fine arts logistics and an Iron Mountain business, to provide clients with ultra-high-resolution imaging previously unavailable to the commercial art world. The core of the technology, known as the Art Digital Master File (ADMF™) platform, will transform analytics, documentation and visualisation of art, bringing art collectors into the digital age of art preservation and stewardship.Originally developed for the forensic analysis of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre, the technology has been further developed by Arius, working with leading museums including Tate and the National Gallery of Canada to advance the value and capability of the system. This conservation-quality imaging technology offers a level of detail previously unavailable to the commercial art market.
The Arius 3D ultra-high-resolution colour laser data capture system simultaneously measures the geometry and colour of the surface of a painting, recording millions of data points. This enables collectors to both protect and engage with their artwork at brushstroke level, picking up intricate details as fine as one tenth of a human hair.
The ADMF data, stored digitally in much the same way as a master music recording, has many uses. It can be embedded in online viewing rooms to provide brushstroke-level visualisation, developed into comprehensive condition reports and restoration plans and printed as highly accurate textured replications that represent every movement and carefully considered colour choice of the artist.
As online art sales continue to rise steadily, and online viewing rooms are now a feature of the art world, Arius’s visualisation suite will offer an immersive experience where visitors can calibrate and adjust lighting, viewing angle, perspective and shadow effects.
The ADMF data also holds the promise to become the cornerstone of multi-factor authentication, linked to traditional provenance documentation. As a unique digital fingerprint of a work, it has tremendous potential for fraud prevention and detection. It also provides the richest dataset for digital archiving.
Paul Lindahl, Arius CEO, said: “We are excited to work with Crozier to offer gold standard digitisation, visualisation and conservation of art. This launch of phase one of the ADMF platform focuses on the visual enjoyment of art, both digitally and with high-fidelity textured replications. We are continuing to build out the platform to enable digital archiving and condition analytics that will allow for proactive restoration before degradation is visible to the human eye.”
Collectors, as custodians of culturally significant works, will appreciate the role the ADMF data can play in digitally preserving paintings, ensuring they maintain their rightful place in history and enabling the best possible conservation for the future. Collectors who have gone through the hard work of establishing provenance will understand that linking the ADMF data to traditional documentation will bring confidence and simplicity to future transactions. Also, collectors who wish to store or donate important works can continue to enjoy an emotional connection through a high-fidelity replication, knowing the replication comes directly from the original.
Simon Hornby, Crozier’s Senior Vice President (SVP) of Western Europe, said: “Over the past few years, Crozier has focused its digital strategy on partnering with the world-leading platforms in order to provide clients with solutions. The decision to embark on a partnership with Arius came after many months of research and an in-depth review of its viability and capability. We are thrilled to partner with Arius and to be able to offer our clients the most advanced ultra-high-resolution digitisation technology.”
Tom Hale, SVP of North America for Crozier, said: “We know by listening to our clients that they need ways to both engage with and protect their artwork that leverage a wide array of technologies.
We are uniquely positioned to offer them a solution that combines conservation and new art world technology and are excited about what is to come in 2021 and the future.”
Arius technology is currently installed at Crozier facilities in London and New York, with future installations planned for Switzerland and Los Angeles.
www.ariustechnology.com
