Abstract: In time the community of the Cultural Heritage scholars, have experienced a large amount of archaeological ruins, we have visited them, we have surveyed them, we have wondered about the original aspect of those places. Most of the time we have imagined the causes of that decay: wars, disasters, abandon, in a lot of situations the reasons for the ruins are not that clear and legends and common believes take the place of any proved reasoning. But there are some situations, all across time, were the applied destruction was so strong and methodical to leave absolutely no trace of what was in place, this creates a great challenge for the archaeologist and for the architects, a challenge in finding any possible reason for what has been completely forgotten leaving nothing but some drawings, a popular story, a mix of crushed ruins. The political will of removing a small walled town, the effort of the thieves, the try to cancel the memory of a place, the blind and improper approach to cultural heritage operated by certain administrations, create a bad and unlucky environment which is the exact opposite of memory and preservation. It is not something specific from our age nor from the previous, it is an articulated process developed in different ages, cultures and approaches, but with a same result: the annulation of a place or an architecture. This contribution will be aimed to develop a reflection about this illness in built heritage, using various direct samples, from the Hekatomnos’tomb in Milas, to the Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, to the Montecastrese settlement on the Tuscany coast, to the Pionta citadel in Arezzo, to the Vagli town in central Tuscany, up to the Corallo baths in Livorno and the Tonietti mausoleum on the Elba island. A series of “bad” stories where the digital approach to documentation and virtual reconstruction meet the interest in some sort of preservation or even “resurrection” of these unlucky constructions. This may help to discuss one of the worst process in built heritage and start some understanding about new ways to better address efforts and face this complex phenomenon.

From decay and total destruction to the worst practice in Cultural Heritage : a reflection about the will of losing all the traces / Verdiani, Giorgio. - STAMPA. - 1:(2017), pp. 185-211. (Intervento presentato al convegno ARCHITECTURE, ARCHAEOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY CITY PLANNING "Issues of scale" tenutosi a Londra UK nel 22-25 Settembre 2016).

From decay and total destruction to the worst practice in Cultural Heritage : a reflection about the will of losing all the traces

VERDIANI, GIORGIO
2017

Abstract

Abstract: In time the community of the Cultural Heritage scholars, have experienced a large amount of archaeological ruins, we have visited them, we have surveyed them, we have wondered about the original aspect of those places. Most of the time we have imagined the causes of that decay: wars, disasters, abandon, in a lot of situations the reasons for the ruins are not that clear and legends and common believes take the place of any proved reasoning. But there are some situations, all across time, were the applied destruction was so strong and methodical to leave absolutely no trace of what was in place, this creates a great challenge for the archaeologist and for the architects, a challenge in finding any possible reason for what has been completely forgotten leaving nothing but some drawings, a popular story, a mix of crushed ruins. The political will of removing a small walled town, the effort of the thieves, the try to cancel the memory of a place, the blind and improper approach to cultural heritage operated by certain administrations, create a bad and unlucky environment which is the exact opposite of memory and preservation. It is not something specific from our age nor from the previous, it is an articulated process developed in different ages, cultures and approaches, but with a same result: the annulation of a place or an architecture. This contribution will be aimed to develop a reflection about this illness in built heritage, using various direct samples, from the Hekatomnos’tomb in Milas, to the Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, to the Montecastrese settlement on the Tuscany coast, to the Pionta citadel in Arezzo, to the Vagli town in central Tuscany, up to the Corallo baths in Livorno and the Tonietti mausoleum on the Elba island. A series of “bad” stories where the digital approach to documentation and virtual reconstruction meet the interest in some sort of preservation or even “resurrection” of these unlucky constructions. This may help to discuss one of the worst process in built heritage and start some understanding about new ways to better address efforts and face this complex phenomenon.
2017
ARCHITECTURE, ARCHAEOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY CITY PLANNING "Issues of scale" - Proceedings of the 2016 workshop
ARCHITECTURE, ARCHAEOLOGY AND CONTEMPORARY CITY PLANNING "Issues of scale"
Londra UK
22-25 Settembre 2016
Verdiani, Giorgio
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
verdiani_01_ebook_aaccp_2016.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Pdf editoriale (Version of record)
Licenza: Open Access
Dimensione 3.08 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
3.08 MB Adobe PDF

I documenti in FLORE sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificatore per citare o creare un link a questa risorsa: https://hdl.handle.net/2158/1081386
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? ND
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact