MIRL (Material / Image Research Lab)

The Red Dot

Named after the small red sticker that once guided scholars through legacy 35mm slides, The Red Dot is here to help you navigate the ever-evolving landscape of visual and material research. While rooted in the University of California, Santa Barbara community, our posts are open to all.

At MIRL, we engage with art history, digital humanities, and material culture through hands-on research and archival projects. Guided by our core principles—critical engagement with visual and material culture, ethical stewardship of images and data, and innovative approaches to research and pedagogy—we work at the intersection of technology and the humanities. We are especially interested in how digital tools can expand the study of images, objects, and spaces.

Here, we’ll share insights on Digital Art History and Architectural History, highlight new image and data resources, discuss copyright and ethical considerations, and spotlight events that shape our field.

The Red Dot © 2025 is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 

  • Bluestonehenge, a sister site to Stonehenge, found

    Archaeologists in England have uncovered a site thought to be linked to the famous Stonehenge. This “little sister” henge, located just 2.8km away along the River Avon, was dubbed Bluestonehenge since it was originally constructed of 25 blue Preseli stones. It is believed this riverain connection marked a funerary processional route from Bluestonehenge toward Stonehenge.… Read more

  • “ART from the ashes” helping Santa Barbara

    ART from the ashes, an LA-based non-profit organization that creates art to help raise funds for communities devastated by fire, has set its sights on Santa Barbara. A new exhibition and art sale on October 10, to benefit the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, will showcase works of art made from materials gathered from the Garden… Read more

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  • World Columbian Exposition of 1893 – UCLA’s latest simulation project

    The Urban Simulation Team at UCLA is working on some really interesting projects that recreate environments at levels from satellite imagery to the finest details, and even video tours.  Their biggest project is Virtual LA, an attempt to recreate the entire Los Angeles area, which will have numerous uses for architects and urban planners.  Other… Read more

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  • Additions to the VRC image database, part 3

    A lot of new material was added to MDID over the summer and in preparation for Fall courses.  Some of the new material includes: over 450 images of architecture (including plans and drawings), city plans and environmental installations from Asia, Europe and North America 100 images of early landscape photography 600 images of Chinese painting… Read more

  • ARTstor and MOMA collaborate again

    ARTstor and the Museum of Modern Art have collaborated to add over 1,400 works from the permanent collection.  This addition  enhances two other MOMA collections in ARTstor:  the Exhibition Installation Photograph Collection from the MOMA archives (over 16,000 images), and the Architecture and Design Collection (nearly 7,000 images). Read more about these collections and the… Read more

  • Your chance to own a Neutra, Lautner or Wright house

    An article in yesterday’s LA Times reports that several houses by important architects are for sale or have recently sold in the Los Angeles area.   The most noteworthy is Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, the location of several recent movie shoots, which is on the market for $15 million.  If that’s out of your range,… Read more