blairapgar.bsky.social Profile picture
May 26, 2021 13 tweets 7 min read Read on X
1/ #MAMG21 One of the challenges of teaching art history is inherently philosophical: how can the student experience three-dimensional objects or buildings when they are only available for them in a two-dimensional form? A photo of Notre Dame in Pa...
2/ #MAMG21 Logistically, this challenge serves as a giant asterisk for the entire discipline: scholars of art history acknowledge the inherent difference between the images we show on screen, and the real object which exists, likely many miles away from our current classroom. On the left is the renderin...
3/ #MAMG21 There is often little to be done to reconcile the loss of the materiality and experience of the 3D object. This is how video games such as @Ubisoft's Assassin’s Creed: Unity (2014) can close the gap left by traditional educational methods. Cover image for Ubisofts 20...
4/ #MAMG21 The game’s surprisingly faithful and intricate model of Notre Dame serves as an accessible alternative to even the most detailed photographs. Students who have not visited Notre Dame lack the spatial awareness of the monumental nature of these structures. Upwards perspective of the ...
5/ #MAMG21 Photographs alone cannot replicate the experience of such a vast scale. The sensorial nature of gothic architecture is critical to understanding the period’s relationship between man and god; witnessing the church's seemingly endless upwards thrust demonstrates this.
6/ #MAMG21 This is where AC:U can be useful to students. In AC:U, Notre Dame is rendered as in the 18th c., though it uses a 21st c. model, and has been modified in some key ways for playability and to match the average gamer’s perception of the modern cathedral.
7/ #MAMG21 This means Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th c. modifications appears a century earlier in-game than in reality. However, these distemporal features present no more difficulty they do in traditional pedagogic approaches. The experience of moving within the cathedral, anachronisms Screen shot of spire and ro...
8/ #MAMG21 and all, can reclaim some of experientiality otherwise only possible with in situ instruction. Moreover, design choices such as a soundscape intended to replicate echoes throughout the cavernous nave or light effects which varyingly display the shimmering beauty
9/ #MAMG21 of sun through the highly detailed stained glass, and the effect of unelectrified darkness. Furthermore, 3rd-person perspectival manipulation of the player camera encourages students to literally and metaphorically shift their perspective on the space.
10/ #MAMG21 Players can scale the walls and roofs, and due to the fidelity of the game’s model, and interact with areas unavailable to the general public. These game-play features reveal more than photographs and floorplans, and can even provide access beyond in situ instruction.
11/ #MAMG21 With guided instruction, these explore-focused features can activate the students’ additional senses while allowing them to engage with the building as a 3D object. Future prospects of virtual reality only strengthen the appeal of such games as learning tools.
12/ #MAMG21 Though imperfect, games such as AC:U can help bring medieval architecture to life and activate the sense-oriented nature of gothic architecture in students who might otherwise never experience the physical structure itself, making it an invaluable tool for educators. Screen shot of north transe...

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with blairapgar.bsky.social

blairapgar.bsky.social Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @BlairApgar

Jun 8, 2023
[1] #Pentiment, the 2022 game by @Obsidian, is set in the fictional town of Tassing, home to Kiersau Abbey and tracks the story of an illuminator named Andreas Maler from 1518 to about 1543, during the tumultuous spread of Reformation ideals across Upper Bavaria. #MAMG23 Cover of 2022 game Pentiment
[2] Throughout the game are sleep interludes where the player visits Maler’s Memory Palace (MP) to contemplate decisions both made or neglected, and those yet on the horizon. The player visits the imaginary palace in two stages—first by boat, then by maze. Image
[3] To enter the MP, the player must solve a labyrinth. As you maneuver around the maze, you are confronted with questions regarding Maler's relationship with his family and his involvement with the town’s affairs, posed by the very people whose expectations seem to haunt Maler. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Read 14 tweets
Feb 12, 2022
Matilda of Canossa in Modern(ish) Myths: @GooseIsland makes a beer named "Matilda" which may just seem like a fun name choice until you learn it's the brewery's homage to Orval and their use of Brettanomyces yeast. 1/
The connection isn't immediately clear unless you're familiar with the trappist ale. Founded in 1931, the brewery sits within the old walls of the Abbey Notre Dame d'Orval which was founded in the first quarter of the 11th century (though the site was previously occupied). 2/
You might be thinking at this point: how the heck does this involve Matilda of Canossa? Orval Brewery cites a fascinating foundational myth regarding the water source they have consistently used for their brewing 3/
Read 11 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(