Printing Ancient Music: The Maya Music Project’s use of 3D printing and Modeling for Public Outreach

Summary

3D models have the potential to bring archaeological data to life for the public in ways that were previously impossible. My research on ancient Maya musical practices is demonstrative of the various ways in which 3D technologies can create a tactile experience for the public as they learn about archaeology. This paper will highlight some of the ways in which the Maya Music Project will be using 3D models to increase public engagement with the subject. My preliminary experimental foray into public archaeology will begin this fall, when I will present 3D printed replicas of ancient Maya musical instruments to second-generation bands in the LA area who are attempting to incorporate more traditional Mesoamerican musical instruments into the compositions. Each model will be presented with the contextual information of where the instrument was excavated, thus helping the musicians understand the life history of the replicated artifact they are playing. I am also in the process of working with several institutions to create an online collection of 3D scans of musical instruments, allowing people to interact with artifacts and learn about the subject in a new way remotely, from the classroom or home.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Strategic Approaches to Digital Public Archaeology

Keywords

Spatial Coverage