In Thessaloniki’s MOISA meeting in 2019, we were delighted to introduce our project “Cyprus in 3D” that showed a selection of Archaic figurines of the Kamelarga style that had been 3D scanned and 3D printed to extend the handling collection of the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology (University of Reading). We presented our preliminary conclusions regarding their pedagogic potential as research and educational resources.

Now, we would like to share with our colleagues how this project has continued to be developed over the pandemic, as well as how many different and varied new lines of research it has opened for our institution. Online educational sessions proved to be a great platform to use 3D models of votives representing dancers and musicians, as students were able to “take control” of the model and move it around as they pleased. Zoom conferences (and face to face, too) on dancing provided a great opportunity to illustrate the importance of the kinetic element by using 3D printing, video editing, stop-motion clips, music editing, etc.

Lastly, new technologies have enabled us to introduce motion in museums: this characteristic is usually absent in traditional displays, which alter the true meaning of clay votives. Figurines have been understood as gifts deposited in sanctuaries and tombs to represent a continuous act of worship: music making, dancing, etc. All this implied a certain performance – a physical communication act – that we are trying to re-introduce in displays to suggest alternative interpretations.