11 November 2013
South Georgia whaling industry to be digitally brought back to life
A University of Dundee PhD student will this week embark on a two-month research trip to South Georgia in order to digitally
reconstruct the whaling industry of the sub-Antarctic island
Scott Smith will use computer animation techniques to visually depict the now-abandoned industrial whaling sites.
The study, supported by the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT) should enable tourists and visitors to better engage with
the island's cultural history as part of SGHT's remit to preserve and develop its heritage.
Previously a Senior Lecturer in 3D Computer Animation at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Scott, is an academic
expert in computer animation. Now studying at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), part of the University
of Dundee, he is exploring the computer visualisation of cultural heritage and the effect it has on how people learn and
recall information across varying interactive platforms.
Speaking ahead of his trip, Scott said the island presented him with the perfect opportunity to compile a case study
for his research.
'The main objective of the research is to take the existing knowledge of the whaling stations on South Georgia
Island and repackage it,' he said. 'Cinema, virtual reality, computer or mobile screen displays enable a wider public
understanding of the historical context and cultural heritage of the whaling industry.'
South Georgia is a remote and largely hostile environment due to its geographic location in the Southern Atlantic Ocean
at the point of Antarctic convergence. The former whaling station at Grytviken hosts the burial site of the great
explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and a museum managed by SGHT, the co-funders of Smith's research trip.
The museum, based in a former whaling manager's villa, charts the history of the island's whaling heritage and will be Scott's
base during his visit. Although South Georgia was once home to several industrial whaling sites and some 2,000 workers,
the community vanished with the cessation of whaling in the 1960s. Today the only permanent residents are a small number
of scientists inhabiting the British Antarctic Research Stations, Government Officials and the seasonal museum team.
Scott draws parallels between the desolate landscape of South Georgia and the American state of Kansas, where he grew up. 'Many
parts of Kansas have areas of ghost towns, abandoned in some cases because of the changing industrial farming practices
that happened in the 20th century,' he said.
'Small towns centred on communities of family farms shrank and disappeared as larger conglomerates came into being.
The subsequent dust bowls of the 1930s made the land very infertile and drove populations away.
'On South Georgia, the loss of the whaling industry has had a fundamental impact on the island's habitation and much
of the former bustling whaling stations lie empty, although the area's native flora and fauna have made significant
recoveries since the end of the commercial whaling in the region. Computer visualisation can be a very effective
way of preserving the practices that once shaped and served communities.'
The research project is supported by the SGHT, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Swedish explorer
Dr Frederik Paulsen, the Government of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, and the Association for Industrial
Archaeology (AIA).
Scott will be accompanied for part of the trip by Professor Bjorn Basberg, a Trustee of SGHT and advisor for his
research project. Professor Basberg said that the project can help the tourists who visit South Georgia to view
its diverse wildlife to understand the island's history.
'Computer animation is one way to visualise how these former industrial sites looked and operated,' he said. 'Scott Smith's
project will be of value for visitors understanding the remains of these complex former industrial plants as well
as giving insight into the island's unique heritage.'
Scott leaves for South Georgia on Wednesday, 13th November from RAF Brize Norton, travelling via the Ascension
Islands and the Falkland Islands. He will return to the UK on Saturday, 18th January 2014.
Notes to Editors:
The South Georgia Heritage Trust was founded in 2005 to preserve the sub-Antarctic island's human and cultural
heritage, raise awareness of the island's endangered flora and fauna through research and public engagement,
and manage practical conservation programmes to protect native species.
South Georgia is one of the world's last great wilderness areas and amongst the wildlife on the island are 90%
of the world's Antarctic fur seals and half the world's elephant seals. Four species of penguin nest on the
island, including King Penguins with around 400,000 breeding pairs. The island's birdlife includes albatross, skuas
and petrels, as well as the South Georgia Pipit, and the South Georgia Pintail. But although the wildlife remains
impressive, it is but a shadow of what Captain Cook encountered when he discovered and named South Georgia in 1775.
Rats and mice, arriving in the ships of sealers and whalers, have spread over much of the island and destroy the
eggs and chicks of most of the native birds. The aim of SGHT's project is to eradicate these predatory rodents and
allow millions of birds to reclaim their ancestral home.
South Georgia is a UK Overseas Territory administered by the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich
Islands, which is based in the Falkland Islands.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277 |
