Digital technology is now being used to exhibit, preserve, and protect cultural assets.There are many heritage sites, cultural assets, and works of art that have been nurtured over the years, and digital archiving is actively being conducted to record and list them using digital technology.In museums and galleries, many efforts are being made to make these heritage, cultural assets, and works of art accessible to the public.
The photo below shows a custom-made showcase for the special exhibition “Fountain Pens: Their History and Art in Japan” held at the National Museum of Japanese History (Chiba, Japan) in 2016.Our LED Artificial Solar Lighting XELIOS-iO was used for the lighting in the showcases.For the protection of cultural assets, a filter is installed to cut off light with wavelengths shorter than 500 nm.
The reason why LED Artificial Solar Lighting was chosen to illuminate the showcases in this special exhibition is its high reproducibility of color tone accuracy and vividness.The showcases were created at the request of the museum staff who wanted visitors to feel the vividness of the fountain pens on display, and to understand the high quality and artistry of the fountain pens through accurate color reproduction.
In Japan, it was decided to “add digital archiving of museum materials to the museum’s business” in the revised Museum Law, although it is an obligation to make an effort, and the article came into effect on April 1, 2023.At this point, it is still an effort obligation, but it will be defined by law as a mandatory task in the near future.Documenting artworks in digital archives is not only for the protection of cultural properties and for research and study, but also for the enhancement of museum profits, the transmission of culture, and the enrichment of people’s lives.Increasingly, digital archiving of cultural properties and works of art is becoming a high-profile business.
To digitally manage art objects, they are photographed with digital cameras.Camera performance has improved dramatically in recent years, and the amount of data that can be stored has also increased markedly, so the bar for digitization has been lowered.However, if lighting is poor, they cannot be properly preserved and this may interfere with research and studies.Therefore, they must be illuminated with the “proper light”.Artificial solar lighting is ideal as photographic lighting for digital archiving.
We have already delivered many products in Japan.Additionally, Artificial solar lighting has a high presence in the fields of cultural assets and art, as it has been widely adopted as lighting for restoration purposes.
For digital archiving applications, the XELIOS 100W Series or the XELIOS-iO Series is mainly used.
For the XELIOS 100W Series, the XG-100AF with an AF filter that cuts off ultraviolet and infrared rays is selected.For XELIOS-iO, both 5500K and 6500K color temperatures are selected, with a flexible tube stand for tabletop use.As for color temperature, it is not a matter of which is better, but rather a decision made by each customer.
If you are a museum or art gallery official or curator interested in our services, please visit our website below and feel free to contact us for more information. We have wide experience in this field.We will propose the lighting that best suits your needs.
