CAPE TOWN-Visitors young and old could enjoy revisiting the historic caves in Fish Hoek for Heritage Day.
The guests were thrilled at Fish Hoek Valley Museum which hosted an open day and allowed them a sneak peek preview inside their new Peers Cave Digital Experience.
This digital installation allows visitors a ‘digital’ glimpse inside the Peers Cave as well as an augmented view of the historical artefacts at the museum.
The inspiration that birthed the digital museum occurred through a visit from the archaeology team at Global Digital Heritage Afrika (GDHA) – a non-profit organisation (NPO) dedicated to documenting global cultural and natural heritage. It was launched in March last year.
“It was fantastic to see so many curious minds, both young and old, visit our museum and engage with our exhibits. The kids had a great time in the garden, becoming junior archaeologists for the day, painting rock art and exploring the development of stone tools over the ages,” said museum spokesperson Sue Maude.
Peers Cave also features rock paintings on its walls – the only known rock art site within Cape Town
For Heritage Day the museum gave visitors the chance to revisit Peers Cave also known as Schildersgat’, she added.
“It tells the story spanning over 200 000 years of our early ancestors, of the birth of technology and of our common origins. With the new Peers Cave Digital experience, we hope to transport the cave to the living rooms and offices of interested people around the world who are unable to visit the cave itself. We are also preserving the cave’s story as the real cave is worn down by weather and graffiti, so that it can be shared and appreciated by all for years to come. We are grateful to Global Digital Heritage Afrika for making this possible.
“It is my hope that the new digital modelling will provide fresh information and resources that will allow more study and reflection about the cave’s secrets and significance into the future.”
Dr Siddique Motala, scientific director of Global Digital Heritage Afrika, explained that they developed the Peers Cave Virtual Experience to blend cutting-edge technology with old-school storytelling.
“I think that the kids really enjoyed interacting with it. We are happy to donate our time and expertise to local museums like the Fish Hoek Valley Museum, which play an important role in keeping communities interested in heritage. And Peers Cave deserves the spotlight – it is such an important archaeological site! We hope to develop more of these virtual experiences with other organisations.”
Longtime Fish Hoek Valley Museum Volunteer, Brian Martin said the incredible hard work and generosity from GDHA have been phenomenal.
“They have really embraced the Fish Hoek Valley Museum digital project. This info and knowledge can now be shared easily to educational institutions, into the homes and right into a single person’s hand via PC or smartphone. It is amazing that we will be able to reach so many people where they are.”
The museum has also acquired a Google Cardboard VR headset which turns visitors smartphones into a cheap VR viewing device.
This device can be used for viewing the 3D stone tools and artefacts in the museum.
The museum is also calling on volunteers to assist with testing their augmented virtual reality devices.
. For details contact Maude at 062 576 6166.
