POMPEII IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE : COMPARING VICTORIAN AND MODERN VIRTUAL, IMMERSIVE ENVIRONMENTS

This JISC funded project involves building a virtual 3D model in Second Life, a multiuser online world, of the Pompeian Court, a life-size model of a Pompeian house built in the Crystal Palace in 1854. We wish to examine how the social and educational experiences and reconstructive possibilities offered by the virtual environment compare with those of the original Court. By examining these themes with reference to the archival material of the Palace and preliminary evaluation of our model with user groups in the education and heritage sectors, we aim to reassess the potential of visualisations of the past.