Interactive display of rare Sikh objects opens at Royal Armouries Museum

The digital project painstakingly recreated three objects from the museum’s South Asian Sikh collection, enabling visitors to interact with digital versions of rare historical pieces of armour for the first time in its 700-year history.

Following on from the display of Sikh Relics at the Anglo Sikh Wars Exhibition (2017), the Anglo Sikh Virtual Museum (2020-2022) now comes the first permanent 3D Sikh interactive in the UK.

The Royal Armouries-The national museum dedicated to arms and armour.
Leeds
July 5th 2023

The Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds unveils an interactive display highlighting three fascinating objects from its Sikh collections, recreated in 3D – a first for the museum.

The project, made possible by a partnership over several years with the Sikh Museum Initiative and Taran 3D, has painstakingly reconstructed a Turban Helmet, a Fortress Turban reserved for the elite Akali Nihang warriors and, an elaborately decorated shield from Lahore. The objects were all chosen for their striking appearance as well as their historical significance. The project will mark the first time digitally recreated 3D Sikh objects have been on display anywhere in the UK.

Visitors will have the opportunity to interact with and articulate the three objects, offering a dynamic perspective of the otherwise static real things, housed adjacent to the display.

The display will live permanently in the museum’s Oriental Gallery on the fourth floor of its flagship Leeds museum.

Curator of Asian and African Collections, Natasha Bennett says:

The Royal Armouries is very excited to have partnered with the Sikh Museum Initiative to bring important objects of Sikh heritage to the attention of visitors in a fresh, innovative way.

Reimagining this helmet, shield and turban through 3D technology has created a platform that will enable audiences to enter a personal interaction with these artefacts and encourage an almost tangible appreciation of their historical role and significance.

Gurinder Singh Mann, Director of the Sikh Museum Initiative says

We originally started by photographing the three objects and then digitally recreating these for the Anglo Sikh Virtual Museum.

This led to today’s installation which is an important step in uncovering the joint history between the British and the Sikhs. By using 3D technologies, we can now interpret objects in a way which is rarely seen. We have been delighted to have been working with The Royal Armouries to enhance visitors’ experience to the galleries.