a community-built initiative dubbed ‘scan the world’ is archiving the world’s most significant works of sculpture and cultural artifacts in digital 3D format. the open-source museum encourages creators to explore, download, and fabricate these valuable pieces of art history, formatted and ready to be 3D printed. the collection so far hosts an impressive 18,000 works, from iconic renaissance masterpieces, to architectural fragments, to archeological findings. the initiative notes: ‘in making culture accessible, communities are encouraged to share their scans, stories, and creations with the goal to bring tangible heritage to the masses.’

scan the world
head of michelangelo’s david

 

 

visitors can explore the scan the world‘s open-source museum, filtering through the extensive archive by collection, artist, and location. part of my mini factory — the largest 3D printing sourcing platform — ‘scan the world’ has teamed with google arts and culture which partners with more than 2,000 institutions to contribute 3D scans to the platform. each object is documented with a text description noting its history and location, along with such specifications as dimensions, complexity, and print time. although much of the collection is western-centric, there are two categories that celebrate the breadth of works originating from china and india.

scan the world
venus de milo (aphrodite of milos)

scan the world
black bear skull

scan the world
laocoon and his sons

'scan the world' offers thousands of history's most iconic artworks for 3D print
venus of willendorf at the naturhistorisches museum, vienna

'scan the world' offers thousands of history's most iconic artworks for 3D print
architectural fragment from the pulpit of sant’ambrogio

'scan the world' offers thousands of history's most iconic artworks for 3D print
la pietà

scan the world
the three graces at the hermitage museum, russia

scan the world
bust of nefertiti at the neues museum, berlin

scan the world
bust of nefertiti, physical print in progress

 

 

project info:

 

project title: scan the world