Speleological Pantograph
These devices are intended for the manifestation of underground and inaccessible spaces where it is difficult or dangerous to enter. A three-dimensional arrangement of pantograph armatures, a series of articulated and fixed point linkages, allow the scale and detail of an enclosed volume to be transcribed in open space. We intend to prototype the design and to test its ability to translate and enlarge spaces and surface detail at test sites such as disused tube stations, mine shafts and underground bunkers.
The extensive cave network of over 500 caverns is the result of sandstone mining from medieval times to the Second World War. The cave network is unknown to many despite the everyday signposting in the local shopping mall. The caves have been used as cisterns, tanneries, pub cellars, wells a private shooting range, and storage for the city council. The Nottingham Cave Survey undertakes 3D laser scanning and mapping of the network and is producing an app of geotagged laser point cloud visualisations which reveal the hidden network of caves that exist below the streets of the city.