Kristina Cassar Dowling talks to the creative team at St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education behind the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum Virtual Reality Experience, which is aimed at giving local culture a modern twist.
Malta and heritage are historic companions; a pairing that has become synonymous with the culture and history of the Mediterranean and Europe’s history. Some of the earliest peoples can be traced back to the early civilisations and communities that occupied the Maltese islands and left their mark.
Malta and Gozo are finding increased worth in the megalithic temples scattered throughout the islands; most of them are found above ground, but some historical and cultural gems are tucked away underground, such as the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum.
The Hypogeum is renowned worldwide as an archeological and historical wonder – recognised by UNESCO as a unique world heritage site with prehistoric value of global importance. Visitors experiencing the underground temple in real life are left with an astounding impression but access to the chambers may not be possible to all.
In order to preserve the Hypogeum in pristine condition, Heritage Malta restricts the number of visitors to the site through an appointment viewing system. The current capacity is limited to 70 visitors per day. It also provides a ‘resting period’ for the site to maintain its archaeological value for future generations.
However, modern technology has found a way of bringing the Hypogeum to life – giving people all over the world the opportunity to experience the pits, caves and corridors of this prehistoric relic at the click of a button.
A creative team at St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education, Ħamrun, put together a unique project that used virtual reality (VR) technology to deliver an on-screen experience of the Hypogeum, communicating education and culture in the most accessible way possible.
Charles Theuma, principal at St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education, said the project has been six years in the making. The first prototype launched through the institute, in collaboration with Heritage Malta, was based on St Paul’s Catacombs in Rabat. This encouraged the creative team, as well as the institute, to invest in knowledge, research and machinery to be better able to document Malta’s history in a more accessible manner.
“This is the tip of the iceberg for VR in the cultural aspect – creating a real-time Hypogeum experience in the form of VR would elevate our production to a whole new level. And this is our aim,” added Theuma.
In order to create the final output – a 10-minute short film – a great amount of groundwork needed to be laid. These building blocks were set in place by Jeremy Grech, a lecturer in games development, animation, video editing, object-oriented programming and graphics processing at St Martin’s Institute.
Grech said: “The Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum Virtual Reality Experience we’ve been working on is a film taken from a VR experience that shows what the above-ground temples around our islands would have looked like, with every room and chamber left intact.”
Using technology to mimic film-making, viewers are provided a guided VR tour combined with a 360-degree film experience. Joseph Camilleri, a lecturer in narratology, virtual reality filmography, practical marketing and concept art, and digital artefacts at the institute, compares it to a “theme park ride” where the experience is felt within a ‘controlled’ view. He added that future projects related to such an experience can be enhanced with the introduction of a VR headset – an aspect that is being looked into by the team.
While the project’s main aim is to promote the Hypogeum’s exposure and accessibility, Theuma maintains that St Martin’s Institute’s ethos is also at its forefront. He said: “The project combines video, audio and history to create a fully immersive educational experience. Our primary objective is always education.
“We try to entice and attract as many local and international students as possible to computing sciences and the computing industry.”
With a corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign entitled ‘#LoveMyCountry’, promoting Malta’s heritage and cultural value is knitted into everything St Martin’s Institute invests in, and a secondary aim of the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum Virtual Reality Experience is to attract visitors to the Maltese islands.
Malta’s prehistoric and historic worth is recognised and appreciated globally, and the international feedback and comments received on the institute’s most recent project has amplified the value and importance of this short film.
“The positive reaction we received worldwide is the catalyst that constantly pushes us towards producing more material,” Theuma added.
Material such as this 360-degree VR film could enhance students’ learning experiences
Jonathan Barbara, a lecturer in creative computing, audio design and graphics, games design, Transmedia world-building and interactive narratives at the institute, compared the educational film, which was produced on a low budget, to the Hollywood blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, not in terms of quality and storyline, but in terms of the virtual tourism potential for the islands. Much like Paris, Rome and Florence were highlighted in the Dan Brown’s mystery thriller, boosting the literature and entertainment sectors, St Martin’s Institute’s production could have a similar if not greater immersive experience for local culture and history.
The production used laser scanning both to preserve authenticity and create a genuine walk through areas of the Hypogeum accessible in real life, as well as to document layers of the prehistoric site that are not accessible to the public.
“We were careful to not add or edit anything, and even when we proposed to add special effects in the form of lighting, Heritage Malta guided the process to ensure authenticity was respected,” Camilleri added.
When science and history join efforts, new information comes to light and enables the discovery of facts about the past that could have otherwise been forgotten.
During the documentation of this short film, St Martin’s Institute, under Heritage Malta’s supervision, discovered and clarified that sunlight, even during seasonal equinox, was never able to travel to the back rooms of the burial ground.
Barbara added: “We also used a light that mimicked the sun, taking into consideration how it would interact with the Hypogeum itself. It was thought that ‘The Holy of Holies’, a chamber within the Hypogeum, was actually lit up with direct sunlight, during a particular equinox but through this study we discovered that the backroom would never have seen sunlight.”
Theuma emphasised that the technology used is not computer-generated imagery (CGI). He explained that creative liberties were not used during the filming, with point clouds reaching 3mm spans, so that every corridor and every layer was documented as experienced in real life.
He added that the skill set and creativity of the entire team was also used in the choice of music and lighting, narration and movement through the chambers, and documenting the Hypogeum. A graduate of the institute, Keith Vella, who had enrolled in its Computing and Games Design and Development faculty, was also involved.
The potential that this VR experience opens up is possibly the most valuable part of the project. Investing in non-mainstream education can open up many more doors than one may think at face value; studying computer sciences no longer restricts students to mainstream jobs but has the potential to inspire innovation and connect different facets of our communities into our creative workforce. Acquiring such knowledge at St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education opens up a myriad of opportunities yet to be explored.
Barbara commented: “We are exploring the opportunity to give the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum a ‘fuller’ experience; by means of smartphone access. We are looking into interaction spaces which could reach masses with the common smartphone.
“Our relationship with Heritage Malta allows us to realise their needs, and eventually the country’s, in gaining access to Malta’s cultural heritage. This will allow us to facilitate such experiences for classrooms throughout the islands.”
In view of ways the global COVID-19 pandemic is altering schooling, material such as this 360-degree VR film could enhance students’ learning experiences and enable them to fully immerse themselves into Maltese history.
Implementing such projects can help to promote Maltese heritage. With virtual reality paving the way for near-real-life experiences, Malta’s cultural richness can be tasted not only locally but globally; this will introduce attractions such as the Hypogeum to even more people, enticing increased interest in the real-life experience.
By creating showcasing capsules, such as the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum Virtual Reality Experience, VR and other modern technologies can help to preserve our history and curate our future understanding of Maltese heritage.