"In Iraq and Syria we have the records, the scholarship, the skills and the money to reinstate ancient sites and re-fire our imagination. I applaud the Institute for Digital Archaeology for dedicating itself to the task of reconstruction."
- Sir Simon Jenkins, Former Chairman, UK National Trust
The centerpiece of our Trafalgar Square and City Hall park installations was the 1/3 scale reproduction of the 2,000 year old Triumphal Arch from the Palmyra site in Syria, which was destroyed in August 2015. Produced using state-of-the-art 3D technology, the arch was installed in Trafalgar Square on Monday April, 18th and open to the public on Tuesday April 19th. In New York City, the arch was installed on Sunday September 18th, and open to the public on Monday September 19th. It has since traveled to Dubai, the G7 culture summit in Florence, and Arona, Italy. These videos and stills from the TorArt facilities in Carrara, Italy show the seven axis mechanical arm which carved the arch out of pure Egyptian marble.
“The IDA is undertaking reconstructions of the lost monuments of the Middle East out of respect for the history and heritage these objects represent -- a history and heritage that informs the art and architecture that beautifies our cities, the science and technology that eases and improves our lives and the literature and philosophy that gives us a deeper understanding of our world and ourselves. However, we also view this work as an important gesture of friendship and solidarity with people in the regions of conflict -- people with whom we share a common history that is represented by the very artifacts and monuments we seek to protect and preserve.”
- Roger Michel, Executive Director, Institute for Digital Archaeology