My UM
My UM
Search

Maastricht students present history of mining in the Netherlands digitally and in 3D

Stories about the mining past come to life

The Dutch Mining Museum, in collaboration with students from Maastricht University, digitized collection items and converted them into 3D models. As many as 72 three-dimensional mining objects along with detailed background information are being presented on a new website, which has been launched on December 12.

More than thirty students of the master’s programme Media Studies: Digital Cultures at Maastricht University’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences have spent about a month and a half digitizing part of the mining history and capturing a large number of mining objects in 3D. In their master’s program they learn how to use digital techniques to make heritage future-proof.

After a thorough inventory of the varied collection of the Dutch Mining Museum, the students made a selection of objects that tell the full story of the history of mining in the Netherlands. Topics covered are the origin and extraction of coal, the rich culture of mining, and the daily life in a miner's family. The objects were categorized, photographed and studied in detail.

The result is a very extensive website with information about mining history, detailed descriptions of objects and 3D models of 72 collection items which can be digitally studied in great detail online. The website will be used for educational purposes as well. For now, the website is available in English due to the international nature of the master’s program, but a Dutch version is in development.

Also read