Essay «24 Million Points of a Vanished Coastline»
In the village of Donskoye, there is a place that can no longer be seen as it was ten years ago. Not because it was closed to visitors, but because it disappeared. Today, what remains is a digital model consisting of 24 million points.
On the shore of the Baltic Sea, near the «SHUM» Youth Center, once stood a unique geological outcrop. Its specialty lay in the exposed cross-section of ancient sedimentary rocks, which allowed visitors to trace the history of the coast’s formation over millions of years.
For geologists, this slope was a true natural chronicle. Every layer of sand and clay held information about ancient seas, climate, and changes in the earth’s surface. But the pages of this chronicle were gradually vanishing.
Waves undercut the base of the cliff, rains washed away the soil, and landslides destroyed the slope. The situation was worsened by illegal excavations in search of amber. By 2011, when scientists began studying the outcrop, a portion of the unique cross-section had already been lost.
To preserve at least its digital appearance, researchers used laser scanning. A specialized instrument recorded millions of points on the slope’s surface, enabling the recreation of its volumetric shape. Later, drones and photogrammetry—a technology for constructing three-dimensional models from photographs—were integrated into the work.
Over ten years of observation, they managed to collect a cloud of 24 million points and create a model of 18 million polygons. However, completely reconstructing the outcrop’s geological history proved impossible: by the time the most detailed scans were taken, a significant part of the slope had already vanished.
Thus, an unusual digital copy of a place that no longer exists in its original form was created.
It is especially symbolic that the «HUM» center is nearby, where young media professionals learn to work with photography, video, and digital technologies. The story of this vanished outpost reminds us that the camera is capable not only of creating beautiful images but also of preserving what might otherwise disappear forever. Therefore, when you are at «HUM,» you should look at the Baltic coast not just as a picturesque backdrop for shoots. Perhaps your random shot years from now will be the sole testament to something that no one else will ever be able to see.
The Legend of «Coast Without a Double»
«Where did that person come from?» Nika stopped the rotation of the 3D model of the rock and zoomed in on the image. A small, dark figure was standing on the edge of the cliff—a figure that had not been there a minute earlier.
Nika had come to the «SHUM» youth center to create a documentary film about a disappeared geological remnant in Donsk. This area of the Baltic coast once possessed enormous scientific value, but it gradually eroded due to the action of waves, landslides, and human activity. Scientists managed to preserve its digital likeness, composed of 24 million points.
Using research materials, Nika decided to recreate the rock as it might have looked several decades ago. The work was going well until she discovered that a portion of the surface in the model was missing. To make the image look complete, the young woman restored the missing section herself.
It was then that a person appeared on the edge of the virtual cliff.
Nika decided it was a program error and deleted the strange silhouette. However, after reprocessing, the figure reappeared—in the exact same spot.
The next day, the young woman showed the model to a familiar specialist. He hypothesized that the program was incorrectly processing missing data and advised her to rebuild the surface.
But no matter how much Nika corrected the project, the enigmatic figure kept reappearing.
In the evening, she went to view the actual banks of the Don River. Standing on a safe observation deck, the young woman compared the modern contours of the cliff with old photographs. The place she had so diligently reconstructed could no longer be seen in its former state.
Returning to the center, Nika reread the scientific publication and discovered a crucial detail. By the time the researchers began scanning, part of the unique geological cross-section had already been destroyed. The digital model preserved what the scientists managed to measure but could not tell the whole story of what was lost.
It was then that Nika understood that her beautiful reconstruction was showing the audience not just facts, but also her own conjectures, which she was presenting as reality.
There was one night left before the defense. Nika could either preserve the spectacular reconstruction where no inaccuracies would be noticeable, or present the real model with its voids and missing fragments.
She opened the project and deleted everything she had invented herself. Along with the restored surface vanished the mysterious human silhouette.
The next day, Nika presented the audience two versions of the rock. The first looked almost real; the second consisted of millions of points with dark gaps yawning between them.
«I created the first one the way I wanted to see it, ” the young woman explained. „The second one shows what we actually know.“
Surprisingly, it was the unfinished model that generated greater interest from the audience. The voids made people contemplate how much information about the vanished coastline is already irrecoverable.
