The “Batič and the Sea” project is an innovative work of digital preservation and design developed on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of the Slovenian sculptor Stojan Batič (1925–2015). It explores a long-overlooked chapter of Slovenian maritime history: the collection of artworks and relief sculptures that Batič created between 1960 and 1986 for the commercial fleet of the shipping company Splošna plovba Piran. As these historic ships were gradually decommissioned, sold or destroyed, their original interiors and spatial layouts were permanently lost.

To revive these spaces, students from the Department of Textiles, Graphic Arts and Design at the University of Ljubljana undertook a complex process of virtual reverse engineering. Working from historical black-and-white archival photographs, they used contemporary 3D software and animation tools to reconstruct the scale, textures and atmosphere of mid-20th-century ship cabins and lounges.

By carefully remodelling Batič’s organic relief style into highly detailed virtual environments, the project translates two-dimensional historical records into immersive spatial experiences. The resulting animations allow contemporary audiences to virtually enter spaces that no longer exist and demonstrate how 3D design can serve to archive and restore lost art history.