The Ontological Multiplicity of Digital Heritage Objects: 3D Modelling in the Cherish Project

Abstract

Digital objects are now pervasively used across the heritage sciences, often as 3D models. However, the theoretical discussion of what these objects are, ontologically speaking, can be diverse, ranging, and inconclusive. This paper will focus on the Cherish Project, a European research initiative that used a range of methods—including drone-based photogrammetry and laser scanning— to create 3D models of coastal heritage landscapes that are at risk due to climate change. In specifically attending to the database storage schemes and software/platforms employed by Cherish, this paper explores how digital heritage objects can more broadly be discussed in terms of their ontological multiplicity, the multi-sitedness of their production and circulation, and their mobility across interfaces as they are formalised and circulated. In tracing these specific factors, this paper arrives at epistemological insights about how digital heritage objects factor into knowledge producing practices like Cherish, foregrounding critical questions about how these practices might be differently discussed, pursued, or imagined.