Digital Reconstructions: Italian Buildings and Their Decorations, session at the 52nd International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 11–14, 2017

Historians of medieval architecture have productively used digital technologies to reimagine lost monuments or furnishings, reveal aspects of correspondence in pictorial and architectural iconography, decipher construction techniques, determine the nature and scope of collaboration between architects and decorators, and grapple with the ways in which medieval people experienced their three-dimensional, functional spaces. Digital reconstruction is also useful for bridging monuments and their modern public—for instance, the Scuola San Marco in Venice has installed virtual “copies” of dispersed paintings in the Albergo, so that visitors can readily apprehend its original presentation. This panel seeks a program of digital reconstructions of medieval Italian architectural spaces, ranging from the 4th to the early 15th centuries CE, including chapels, refectories, churches, palace rooms, libraries, and/or villas. We welcome projects that digitally reconstruct vanished monuments, interiors of standing churches with reconstituted medieval screening systems, liturgical furnishings, and/or picture programs. We are particularly interested in projects that take a critical approach to these virtual spaces and address the choice of historical moment(s) and types of monuments, in addition to the reconstruction’s purpose and technological considerations. Speakers are encouraged to comment on the impact on the scholarly process, collaboration (including with non-art historians), teaching, museum practice, and conservation or preservation.

The organizers welcome proposals from scholars of Byzantine Italy.

Organizers
Amy Gillette, Temple University
Kaelin Jewell, Temple University

Panel sponsored by The Italian Art Society.