The freedom to spin and tip a pot by master potter Iskandar Jalil for a closer look may soon belong to many people.

The National Institute of Education is working on a project to produce detailed 3D scans of his works in its collection and make them available through digital platforms such as a website and a mobile application.

Mr Paul Lincoln, a senior lecturer at the institute who is driving the project, says it aims to open up access to the potter's highly prized works and allow more people, including students, to appreciate them up close and from different angles, as well as to interact with them in a tactile way.

An example of a 3D scan from the project was on display during the opening of the institute's exhibition of Iskandar's works.

The scan, of a water bucket in the exhibition, was shown on a high- definition touchscreen. Users could rotate the virtual vessel 360 degrees and examine the colour and texture of its surface. They could also tip it sideways to look at its base.

The project is developed in partnership with Fraunhofer IDM@ NTU, a research centre for interactive digital media technology that was launched in 2010 under the auspices of Nanyang Technological University and Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe's largest institution for applied research.

The virtual documentation of Iskandar's pots in the institute's collection is expected to be completed by next year.