Restoring Medieval Art and Architecture I, II, III: Technology in Documentation and Research; Technology and Concepts of Authenticity; Technology and Access, AVISTA sessions at 57th International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University Online, May 9–14, 2022

Critical discourse surrounding the conservation and restoration of Notre-Dame of Paris following the disastrous 2019 fire indicates the continued existence of a nostalgic desire to experience medieval buildings “as they were.” Paradoxically, to conserve or restore medieval buildings and objects “authentically,” cultural heritage practitioners increasingly rely on contemporary technological tools. Such tools, long recognized for their scholarly and pedagogical value, have become crucial for engagement with medieval sites and objects in a time of enforced distance. AVISTA’s sessions at ICMS 2022 will explore the uses and impacts of technology emerging from the contexts of restoration and conservation campaigns; examine ties between technology and concepts of authenticity as they intersect with the conservation or restoration of medieval art and architecture; and consider how technology connects to accessibility and how access may in turn alter our understanding of medieval cultural heritage.

Topics to be considered might include, but are not limited to, the use of contemporary technologies to document, investigate, conserve, and/or restore medieval structures and objects, the use of medieval technologies in contemporary conservation or restoration practice, technology as a means of crossing geographical and/or chronological boundaries between medieval objects and contemporary audiences, and technology and the accessibility of medieval cultural heritage in relation to issues of economics or geographical or cultural dissemination.

Session sponsor
Association Villard de Honnecourt for the Interdisciplinary Study of Technology, Science, and Art (AVISTA)