The Fondation Etrillard is starting a first support in the field of digital craftsmanship consisting in the production of a very high-resolution digital image of a monumental work of art measuring 1000 m²: the Panorama of the Battle of Murten. This work, created by the German painter Louis Braun (1836-1916) in 1893, commemorates the Swiss victory over the army of the Duchy of Burgundy in 1476. It was very rarely exhibited due to its large size and has long since disappeared from the public consciousness in Switzerland.
Sarah Kenderdine, professor of digital museology at EPFL and director of the experimental museology laboratory, presents the project in the video opposite.
DigiPan is being carried out by the EPFL's experimental museology laboratory (eM+) in association with engineers, historians and specialists in digital archiving. It constitutes the production of one of the largest data sets ever created for a single object in the world (1600 giga pixels = 1.6 terapixels).
The Fondation Etrillard will contribute to bringing this painting out of the shadows through its digital preservation and its valorisation. It supports the creation of the database that will allow the exploitation of the digital twin that brings together the image, as well as 3 types of additional content: sound, 3D objects for animation and data from the archives.
By supporting this project, the Etrillard Foundation is pursuing its mission to bring to light the treasures of our heritage with an innovative approach for the 21st century public.
© EPFL eM+
The imaging of the original panorama was completed in October 2023, and the panorama was returned to the Swiss Army facility. From November 2023 to December 2023, EPFL undertook the image post-processing phase. A demonstration session is planned for April 2024 with museum partners and donors.
Finally, the DigiPan project has been accepted into the Guiness World Record for the category of largest image.
© EPFL eM+