It became abundantly clear while working on this project that my original conception of my project would not be completed, not because I did not put in adequate effort, but because I imagined a best case scenario, a fantasy.  As someone who began the semester with little to no computer science literacy, I am very proud of my accomplishments.  If, however, I came to this course with professional level skills, this is what I would strive for:

1) A moveable, explorable 3D render of the Tessé Room:  My inspiration for this idea comes from the 3D render of the Cooper Hewitt museum created during the its renovation (http://www.cooperhewitt.org/open-source-at-cooper-hewitt/mansionmodel/).  In a digital format it’s extraordinarily hard to impart a sense of corporeal space.  The ability to move around a render of the space in question is the ideal alternative to real life.

2)  A moveable, explorable 3D render of the original Tessé Room: A big part of why I appreciate this course is because it has enabled me to think critically about topics that have never entered my previous coursework.  I know and understand that the current version of the Tessé Room is not its original.  Furthermore, it serves a completely different purpose.  I think the ability to put the current room next to its historical namesake will help make the mystery and majesty of the period room more accessible and understandable.

3) Horizontal scroll: As the web developer, I imagined this website as an online exhibition.  A big component of this was the inclusion of horizontal movement; I thought it would mimic the feeling of being in a museum and moving about an exhibit on a single lateral plane.  I was also inspired by the Met’s “The Artist Project” (http://artistproject.metmuseum.org/), which utilizes a horizontal interface to create what feels like a seamless, continuous experience.  While I was able to modify the existing WordPress structure to simulate ad hoc horizontal movement, I would be overjoyed with actual horizontal scroll.

I treasure this course because it holds a very important place in the study of the humanities.  We are at a time when art history, as well as the museum, is having to grapple with an increasingly technological and connected world.  Courses like this one don’t provide a definite answer to the problems in the field, because we are tackling uncharted territory.  It’s encouraging that the virtual sciences are both so adaptable and and accessible.  The confluence of traditional teaching methods with experimental methodologies opens up a space for continued creation and growth.  I’m excited to see where this experiment leads.