Augmented Reality Storytelling Submerged. Dry Diving to a World War II Wreck at Ancient Phalasarna, Crete

Underwater heritage and archaeology is, in general, limited to the few who have permission, and the means to actually dive on location and experience the submarine sites. Dry dive technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) now offer unprecedented opportunity to change this situation. This paper exp...

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Main Authors: Gunnar Liestøl, Michael Bendon, Elpida Hadjidaki-Marder
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
Series:Heritage
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/4/4/256
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author Gunnar Liestøl
Michael Bendon
Elpida Hadjidaki-Marder
author_facet Gunnar Liestøl
Michael Bendon
Elpida Hadjidaki-Marder
author_sort Gunnar Liestøl
collection DOAJ
description Underwater heritage and archaeology is, in general, limited to the few who have permission, and the means to actually dive on location and experience the submarine sites. Dry dive technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) now offer unprecedented opportunity to change this situation. This paper explores the use of AR storytelling with regard to a World War II landing craft at Phalasarna, Greece. Tank Landing Craft A6 (TLC) was sunk by German aircraft while evacuating Allied troops from Crete in 1941. Its remains still lie just off the coast in a few metres of water. This project revolves around the development of a 3D–animation to make the site more accessible to those who cannot dive. By visually reconstructing the dramatic event of the craft’s final moments under German attack before it settled to the seabed, as well as the site’s present condition, visitors can experience and learn more about both the vessel itself and the historical context. The Indirect AR simulation contains two main modes: a dry dive reconstruction of the wreck as it looks today with detailed multimodal explanations based on historical and archaeological research, and an animation sequence that reconstructs the actual German attack on the ship. This article presents detailed descriptions of the site’s historical background, of the vessel and the design challenges involved in the production process of the app itself. Feedback provided by visitors who recently tested the AR simulation on location is also reported here.
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spelling doaj.art-3d39633e118a44488cc32d4177bf6f372023-11-23T08:37:30ZengMDPI AGHeritage2571-94082021-12-01444647466410.3390/heritage4040256Augmented Reality Storytelling Submerged. Dry Diving to a World War II Wreck at Ancient Phalasarna, CreteGunnar Liestøl0Michael Bendon1Elpida Hadjidaki-Marder2Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, NorwayIndependent Researcher, Sydney 2086, AustraliaDirector of the Phalasarna Excavations, 73400 Kisamos, GreeceUnderwater heritage and archaeology is, in general, limited to the few who have permission, and the means to actually dive on location and experience the submarine sites. Dry dive technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) now offer unprecedented opportunity to change this situation. This paper explores the use of AR storytelling with regard to a World War II landing craft at Phalasarna, Greece. Tank Landing Craft A6 (TLC) was sunk by German aircraft while evacuating Allied troops from Crete in 1941. Its remains still lie just off the coast in a few metres of water. This project revolves around the development of a 3D–animation to make the site more accessible to those who cannot dive. By visually reconstructing the dramatic event of the craft’s final moments under German attack before it settled to the seabed, as well as the site’s present condition, visitors can experience and learn more about both the vessel itself and the historical context. The Indirect AR simulation contains two main modes: a dry dive reconstruction of the wreck as it looks today with detailed multimodal explanations based on historical and archaeological research, and an animation sequence that reconstructs the actual German attack on the ship. This article presents detailed descriptions of the site’s historical background, of the vessel and the design challenges involved in the production process of the app itself. Feedback provided by visitors who recently tested the AR simulation on location is also reported here.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/4/4/256Augmented Realitydry divingCreteWWIIarchaeologyunderwater cultural heritage
spellingShingle Gunnar Liestøl
Michael Bendon
Elpida Hadjidaki-Marder
Augmented Reality Storytelling Submerged. Dry Diving to a World War II Wreck at Ancient Phalasarna, Crete
Heritage
Augmented Reality
dry diving
Crete
WWII
archaeology
underwater cultural heritage
title Augmented Reality Storytelling Submerged. Dry Diving to a World War II Wreck at Ancient Phalasarna, Crete
title_full Augmented Reality Storytelling Submerged. Dry Diving to a World War II Wreck at Ancient Phalasarna, Crete
title_fullStr Augmented Reality Storytelling Submerged. Dry Diving to a World War II Wreck at Ancient Phalasarna, Crete
title_full_unstemmed Augmented Reality Storytelling Submerged. Dry Diving to a World War II Wreck at Ancient Phalasarna, Crete
title_short Augmented Reality Storytelling Submerged. Dry Diving to a World War II Wreck at Ancient Phalasarna, Crete
title_sort augmented reality storytelling submerged dry diving to a world war ii wreck at ancient phalasarna crete
topic Augmented Reality
dry diving
Crete
WWII
archaeology
underwater cultural heritage
url https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/4/4/256
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AT elpidahadjidakimarder augmentedrealitystorytellingsubmergeddrydivingtoaworldwariiwreckatancientphalasarnacrete