Interpreting the architecture of the past involves making a critical evaluation. Historic buildings ‘narrate’ their own past and are able, thanks to material remains, to provide us with the terms of their own implicit message. Restorers are therefore required to carry out an interpretation that lies at the very heart of every project decision. These statements give rise to a number of questions regarding the nature of such an interpretation, which transfers information from the material ‘text’, or state of a building, to its historical narrative and, from there, to actual restoration programmes. In particular, we may ask ourselves if ephemeral architecture could help us understand this ‘text’, without claiming to alter its material consistency, and whether examples where ‘texts’ whose gaps and lacunae were filled using removable materials can still be considered valid, in deference to the principles that characterised the training of twentieth-century restorers. In addition, this paper considers the effectiveness of new interpretational tools – both real and virtual – that could lead to a broader understanding of old buildings amongst a public that is increasingly interested in history thanks to new digital tools.
L’interpretazione dell’architettura antica e l’effimero: quali percorsi di sviluppo nella disciplina della conservazione
PETRUCCI, Enrica
2017-01-01
Abstract
Interpreting the architecture of the past involves making a critical evaluation. Historic buildings ‘narrate’ their own past and are able, thanks to material remains, to provide us with the terms of their own implicit message. Restorers are therefore required to carry out an interpretation that lies at the very heart of every project decision. These statements give rise to a number of questions regarding the nature of such an interpretation, which transfers information from the material ‘text’, or state of a building, to its historical narrative and, from there, to actual restoration programmes. In particular, we may ask ourselves if ephemeral architecture could help us understand this ‘text’, without claiming to alter its material consistency, and whether examples where ‘texts’ whose gaps and lacunae were filled using removable materials can still be considered valid, in deference to the principles that characterised the training of twentieth-century restorers. In addition, this paper considers the effectiveness of new interpretational tools – both real and virtual – that could lead to a broader understanding of old buildings amongst a public that is increasingly interested in history thanks to new digital tools.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
