A Touchscreen for Deciphering David Drake's Jar
A historic jar brought close enough to read the words its maker left behind.
Crystal Bridges · Bentonville, AR, USA · 2024
About the project
The Potter's Voice
Crystal Bridges holds a large stoneware jar made by David Drake, an enslaved potter and poet whose inscriptions and markings carry deep meaning. Many of those details are hard to make out on the jar itself, and the museum wanted visitors to understand the maker's intentions and expression up close.
Scanning the Jar
Alongside the museum's curators, and with a specialist who produced a precise 3D scan, Broken Egg built a hands-on touchscreen experience. Visitors rotate and zoom the digitized jar and tap points to reveal how it was made, what its markings and inscriptions mean, and the story of the artist himself. Every environment the jar appears in was checked with the curators to stay true to the historical record, which is why it rests in a shed, reflecting where it was most likely kept.
Details Made Legible
The experience lets visitors read details that are difficult to decipher on the original, bringing them closer to David Drake's craft and his voice. It is also available on the museum's website, so people can explore the jar without traveling to Arkansas.