RTI Workshop in St Andrews
RTI (Reflectance Transformation Imaging) reveals the micro-terrain of a surface, offering opportunities for new research questions about the materiality, production and use of artefacts. RTI records carefully controlled raking light from multiple directions to build an image of the surface of a document or artefact. It can illuminate lines that have been erased, marks in sculpture that have been weather-worn, and tool marks on parchment or gold leaf, for example. Employing RTI requires specialised equipment, software, and technical training.
Renowned digital imaging specialist Bill Endres (author of Digitizing Medieval Manuscripts: The St. Chad Gospels, Materiality, Recoveries, and Representation in 2D & 3D, Amsterdam, 2019) taught a two-day, hands-on workshop at St Andrews. To learn and practice, we used items from our own University Collections, focussing on parchment manuscripts.
Participants’ videos are linked below.