RECORDING MICHELANGELO'S DAVID: ULTRA-HIGH RESOLUTION 3D SCANNING AND MODELING FOR DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL REPRODUCTION

In the twentieth century, the physical reproduction of a work of art was considered only a business activity and a replica would rarely be on display in a museum. In recent decades, however, as high-resolution digital sampling and fabrication techniques have become popular in all fields, the various ways in which they can be applied to cultural heritage are leading to a more articulated approach to their use. They are no longer considered fakes or imitations, but as artefacts specially designed and built to facilitate the dissemination of heritage or perform simulations without damaging the originals. This case study describes the process of creating the replica of Michelangelo's David that has been displayed in the Italian Pavilion at EXPO 2020 in Dubai. Starting with the planning of the survey, the instruments and facilities used, and the fieldwork process are described. The resulting data have been then processed to produce a model optimised for replication on a large format additive manufacturing printer. Finally, the challenges of processing and managing ultra-high-resolution data are outlined

Public libraries engaging communities through technology and innovation : Insights from the Library Living Lab

Public libraries have proven for centuries to be infrastructures both stable enough as reference centers for access to knowledge yet plastic enough to respond to the social changes of the communities they serve. In these present times of transformation, during which digitalization and the intensive use of technologies are modifying the way in which knowledge is produced, public libraries are facing new and disruptive challenges. The emergence of certain innovation ecosystems within libraries, which place the community at the center of cocreation and codesign processes between different agents, has transformed some public libraries into encountering spaces. The Library Living Lab, in the Miquel Batllori Public Library of Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona, Spain), is an expression of this systemic change. The following paper is a case study based on that sociotechnical infrastructure and analyzes, through two singular examples, how digital technologies can be drivers of social transformation when citizen engagement is placed at the center of innovation processes. The case study also provides insights into how public libraries may become key agents in fostering and strengthening social cohesion through situated, collective, and technology-based innovation practice

Photogrammetric state of degradation assessment of decorative claddings: the plasterwork of the Maidens' Courtyard (The Royal Alcazar of Seville)

Highlights: • The photogrammetric survey demonstrates to be a potential tool in the preventive conservation of ancient plasterworks. • The high-precision 3D model allows the study and quantification of alterations (e.g. fissures, deformations, and loss of mass or polychromies). • The virtual model and the analysis performed with CloudCompare software provide fast, accurate and accessible results to experts in the field. Abstract: Previous studies and documentation about the state of conservation of architectural or decorative elements are crucial for heritage managers, technicians and researchers to succeed in the maintenance and preservation of the heritage. In this sense, hand tracings, digital drawings, or photographs have traditionally been the methods for alteration and sample mapping. In spite of their effectiveness, these methods have some disadvantages, such as the need for more precision in terms of location, dimensions, quantification and types of alterations. By contrast, high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) models allow us to analyse decorative ancient plasterworks with great precision, offering considerable advantages over traditional tools for heritage documentation. To facilitate stakeholders’ work and enhance the quality of data collected, this work proposes the use of photogrammetry as a tool for the documentation of polychromed ancient plasterworks, taking the upper frieze of the access door to the Charles V ceiling room in the Royal Alcazar of Seville as a case of study. Thus, the work methodology applied has shown several advantages over previous methods. On the one hand, it was possible to obtain a 2D planimetry from the 3D model; this is an essential step for those responsible for heritage, especially in reports prior to restoration interventions. On the other hand, the 3D model created enables present alterations identification, the location of fissures and cracks in their three dimensions (opening, length and depth), deformations measurement and control, the quantification of mass or polychrome loss, and the detached elements digital reconstruction. In this way, highprecision digital results are quickly obtained and accessible to all the experts involved in the heritage conservation and maintenance plan

The Stone Lab: Decoding Shikahogh Khachkars

"The Stone lab: Decoding Shikahogh Khachkars" is an MPhil by design, seeking to describe the role of Khachkar in formation of Armenian national identity through studies of the stone masonry and the notion of a territory, which in this case is represented with the Shikahogh village (Figs. 1 and 2). Although much study has been done on Khachkars in general, no prior research has been conducted on the historic cradle of Khachkars that is Shikahogh. The Stone lab aims to discover and interpret the stories of Shikahogh unknown Khachkars. Therefore the hybrid approach of experimental archaeology and digital reconstruction have been employed at the Shikahogh lab to unveil the hidden inscriptions of these Khachkars as well as to narrate the functions and technological processes behind their creation. This research portrays the driving factors of belonging and identify preservation underneath the context of Khachkar and Petroglyphic heritage of Armenia

Ashmolean Papers

Draws together and extends proceedings from a symposium held at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford. It offers a broad range of interdisciplinary insights into issues surrounding the impact of deindustrialisation upon heritage, communities and landscapes, and urban renewal through art and culture led strategies.publishedVersio

International Handbook for Students on Research and Design for the Sustainability of Heritage

HERSUS IO6 - The International Handbook for Sustainable Heritage Management and Design: Notions, Methods and Techniques, is the last Intellectual Output of the European project HERSUS Enhancing of Heritage Awareness and Sustainability of Built Environment in Architectural and Urban Design Higher Education, an Erasmus+ project within the EU program for education, training, youth and sport, developed by a network of five universities. This last output has been designed and developed in a form of a publication in the field and it is expected to have an overall impact on different target groups in the academic environment, including the students, educators, and researchers, but also practitioners and institutional agents