Posted on: Thursday March 6, 2014
By University of Winnipeg student Kristina Misurska
Hello, everyone! Kristina’s blog post for this week is going to be a bit different than some of her other posts:
Over Reading Week I went to a conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, so I didn’t start any new research. Most of my work since my last blog post has been focused on continuing to figure out what is going to be involved with the QR code project, so I thought I would instead take this opportunity to blog a bit about the diorama itself.
The diorama is an astounding piece of work. Betsy Thorsteinson, an extremely talented artist, along with her skilled group of volunteers, put an incredible amount of detail into the diorama. The result of all their hard work is a diorama that, from afar, looks as if it could be a photograph of a real-life fishing camp. Taken as a whole, the diorama is beautiful.
To fully appreciate the amount of effort that went into the creation of the display, however, it helps to take a closer look. To that end, two separate monocles, or monoculars, are provided with the diorama so that visitors can get a close-up view of some of the details. The monocle lets viewers zoom in on different areas and see food being prepared in pottery vessels, birds flying amongst trees, and fish being smoked over fires. The monocles help to focus on the thought and precision that went into the display. From the figurines of the family, to the branches of the trees, to the smoke rising from the campfires, every detail tells a story.
Image: Closeup of winter travelling scene, Aschkibokahn Diorama
The monocles help visitors to zoom in on areas that make them curious. This parallels what I am hoping to accomplish with my project – to give visitors the option of learning more about the present-day site, along with seeing the bigger picture of the site.
That’s all for this week! Please check back next week to see how my project progresses.
