Annual Public Lecture - ‘Intimate Access to Articulate Objects’: Adam Lowe
The Wyvern Research Institue is pleased to announce its inaugural annual public lecture which will take place on Monday 12 October in the Studio at Leighton House.
The Studio, Leighton House, 12 Holland Park Rd, W14 8LZ
Doors will open at 18:15.
Attendance is free of charge but booking is required via Eventbrite - CLICK HERE to reserve a spot
This year we are delighted to welcome Adam Lowe OBE, who will give a lecture entitled 'Intimate Access to Articulate Objects':
“The truth is that the eyes and the fingers — the bare fingers — are the two principal inlets to sound practical instruction… The nature and properties of the materials must come in through the finger ends.”
— James Nasmyth, Engineer: An Autobiography (1883)
For the past twenty-five years, Factum Foundation has been recording works of art and cultural heritage, developing recording systems, software and technologies that make it possible to produce highly accurate facsimiles that can be handled and studied in ways the originals often cannot.
To protect their collections, museums display objects behind glass, in low light and carefully controlled environments. Objects can become difficult to see and impossible to touch. As museums become increasingly popular, there is a danger that they become like mausoleums, preserving objects as relics. New technologies offer the possibility of making them more like libraries, providing privileged access to articulate objects.
It was once assumed that digital technologies would lead towards an increasingly virtual world. The opposite is proving true. By treating artefacts as material evidence, these technologies can amplify both vision and touch.
In this lecture, Adam Lowe will discuss recent work and celebrate their discoveries, focusing on the Sacred Cave of Kamukuwaka, the continuing investigation of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and work relating to Igbo-Ukwu and ivory. These projects demonstrate how material evidence can transform objects into complex subjects and open new avenues of research.
The lecture will also explore the Selene Photometric Stereo system, now in use at the Bodleian Libraries and other institutions in the UK, Europe and the United States, alongside Factum’s recently released Tactum software, which allows researchers to “handle” high-resolution 3D data in intuitive and innovative ways.
About the Speaker:
Adam Lowe is the Director of Factum Arte and Founder of the Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Preservation. At the intersection of design, technology, and cultural heritage, Lowe leads a unique innovative multi-disciplinary workshop in Madrid. Factum Arte was established in 2001 and now has 8000 sq meters of workshop that is connected to a network of makers with diverse skills based in or around Madrid that are linked to other specialists further afield. It has a playground atmosphere that bridges traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge digital mediation to realise works for leading contemporary artists, such as Marina Abramović, Maya Lin, Shezad Dawood, Julian Schnabel, Sarah Sze, Ahmed Anghawi, Anish Kapoor, Grayson Perry, and many others.
In 2009, Lowe founded the Factum Foundation to channel bespoke pioneering technologies towards the preservation of cultural heritage. His work includes the facsimile of Veronese’s Wedding at Cana, the digital reconstruction of the sacred cave of Kamukuwaká in Brazil, and the creation of a full-scale replica of Tutankhamun’s burial chamber, installed in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. The Foundation has worked with more than 500 institutions worldwide on the creation of facsimiles, exhibitions, and training programmes.
An internationally recognised leader in the field of design and cultural preservation, Lowe was named a Royal Designer for Industry in 2019 and received an OBE in 2025 for his outstanding contributions to the arts. His work exemplifies how digital innovation can transform both making and preservation, helping to safeguard the past for future generations.
For more information about the Factum foundation see their website: www.factumfoundation.org