Here in Digital Scholarship we try not to take ourselves too seriously: giant 3D-printed feet, foldable zebras, a cyber-rhino: we’ve had it all. So, please meet our friend, who you may have met if you’ve been in contact with us before: Peter the Penguin.
Peter started life as a knitting pattern (Peter the penguin with his fish : knitted from oddments approx 2 ozs), part of the Knitting Reference Library. Published in the 1940s in the Homecraft Economy Series at only three pence, Peter the Penguin (with his fish) was to be made from oddments and waste fabric, to charm a child at minimal cost in a time of shortages.
We have in the Library a number of keen knitters, and our colleague Nicki Clarkson brought the pattern to life in wool, which certainly charmed us!
It also sparked an idea, of giving Peter a digital existence too. Grant Cox, one of our 3D specialists, created a 3D model from the pattern and (from that) this animation, the first of Peter’s adventures.
Grant takes us through the processes involved for creating both the model and animation in this behind-the-scenes video.
That model is an excellent example of shifting between physical and digital forms that our technologies allow. In a recent exhibition in the Library it came full circle, as we were able to show Peter in all his forms: the original 1940s pattern, the 3D model and animation, the knitted toy, and a 3D print, showcased in this following video.
Keep an eye out for Peter in the future, and to talk to us about the possibilities of any of these techniques, contact digitalscholarship@soton.ac.uk.
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