Vasari Research Centre
New site under construction. Please contact Liz for current information and contacts. e.drew@bbk.ac.uk
About the Centre
Centre projects
The Vasari Research Centre has hosted and continues to host a number of important projects, among them:
CAT Project (Computer Art and Technocultures): 2007-2010
- Grant-holders: Dr Nick Lambert, Professor Jeremy Gardiner, Francesca Franco
- Grant-awarding institution: AHRC
- About this project: A joint venture between the Vasari and the V&A London, working on a major American collection of digital and related visual art. This has resulted in two exhibitions, the symposium "Ideas Before Their Time" and the international conference ‘Decoding the Digital’ at the V&A.
- Visit the project web site
- About the Digital Pioneers exhibition at the V&A
Birkbeck Cinema at Gordon Square: built 2006-7; RIBA award 2008
- Grant-holders: Professor Ian Christie, Professor Laura Mulvey, Liz Drew and Dr Mike Allen
- About this project: Instigated by historians of film and screen media, developed with Surface Architects and Birkbeck senior staff: David Mc Ghie, Philip Cowling and Malcolm Pearson. The Cinema is a significant part of our media provision. A unique cinematic space to foster and support research projects in screen media, this also provides an appropriately experiential environment for lectures and screenings across all programmes at Birkbeck, using 35mm film projectors as well as excellent digital facilities.
NIRP (The National Inventory Research Project): 2005-2008
- Grant holder: Professor Francis Ames Lewis
- Grant awarding institutions: £546K from the AHRC, Getty Institute and Kress Foundation
- About the project: A comprehensive survey and database of pre-1900 European paintings held in all UK galleries and other institutions. This resulted in a major collaboration with the BBC and Public Catalogue Foundation to continue and extend the underdeveloped work in this area.
- Project web site: NICE database
The CACHe Project (Computer Arts, Contexts, Histories etc): 2002-2006
- Grant holder: Professor Charlie Gere, Dr Nick Lambert, Paul Brown, Catherine Mason
- Grant awarding institution: £250K over 3 years from the AHRC
- About the project: A pioneering art historical study of digital art in the UK that resulted in an agreement with the Victoria & Albert Museum to become the main repository of digital art in this country.
- Visit the CACHe project web site
VASARI (Visual Arts System for Archiving and Retrieval of Images): 1989-93
- Grant holder: Professor William Vaughan
- Grant awarding institution: EU
- About the project: A project of major cultural significance in collaboration with the National Gallery to facilitate digitisation at the National Gallery London and beyond. Scanning and retrieval systems were developed to create high-resolution images of paintings in the collection. This resulted in a number of successor projects and involved international collaboration, including the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
- Visit the project web site.
