PRESERVING THE PAST TO DESIGN THE FUTURE READING, INTERPRETING AND TRANSFERRING KNOWLEDGE THROUGH ARCHIVES

ABSTRACT

The diffusion and development of digital technologies had radically changed the way in which museums and cultural institutions offer content to the public. In this regard, the academic field has been discussed about the connection between the Design discipline and Cultural Heritage for several years; this is due to the profound transformations faced in both Design and Cultural Heritage areas. Through the description of two different pro-jects we intend to highlight the problem of technology, which does not represent a solu-tion to all the concerns about archives, protection, use and enhancement of the Artworks, on the contrary it represents an instrument and, as such, it should have empowering and emancipating capabilities. In particular, this contribution will describe the activities of the research team aimed at 3D digitization of the Tribuna degli Uffizi in Florence, and of two Egyptian Sarcophagi belonging to the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire in Brussells. The paper wants to em-phasize the contrast between the "partial failure" of the Uffizi Tribune project, whose model did not produce any relevant result regarding knowledge and dissemination; in relation to the Sarcophagi project in which the digitization has been interpreted as a tool for enhancing and spread the knowledge contents discovered during the restoration. Com-parisons between these two projects have given way to this reflection concerning the dig-itized heritage and consequently the nature and potentials of digital archives. Archives should be containers of information and knowledge ready to be activated for social and cultural purposes. As a system of knowledge open to multiple uses, reuses and interpretations (Sennet 2008), the archive allows both synchronic and diachronic actions for the narration of memories. The design process in this context can develop projects for different cultural experiences in order to foster the inclusive dimension of historical/ar-tistic assets through archives. Through the description of two different projects concerning the application of design processes and methods to the field of Artworks using three-dimensional digitization, this contribution wants to give substance to a reflection that is inserted into an ongoing PhD program at the University of Florence. The Design culture has changed its nature, becom-ing a forma mentis that allows to give appropriate answers to contemporary phenomenol-ogy and issues. For this reason, working with holistic and organic strategies, it can operate on archives defining cultural paths accessible to multiple levels of knowledge.

Keywords: design and cultural heritage; archives; digital technology; knowledge; digital heritage