Page 176 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

1762.5.2 Projection mapping253Projection mapping (or video mapping) is another example of how, following the data acquisition and 3D modelling processes, heritage can again be given a material form in a real environment.Projection mapping can be considered a twen- ty- rst-century technology as the concept was developed only recently in connection with digital technologies and has proven highly useful, especially in disseminating heritage. In this case it consists of video projections on a solid surface – an architectural structure or a particular object – to create new, illusory forms and transform reality through projections of light.Here the physical environment is transformedby images which are integrated into the user’s environment, not only their eld of vision. This is why, compared to other technologies applied to heritage, projection mapping has the advantage that visitors do not require an intermediate display (such as mobile devices) to view the digital information overlaid on the real space.Images are projected onto real objects using digital projectors to create the illusion of virtual objects that coexist with the real world. These images can be in 2D, aligned on a at surface, or in 3D, projecting textures or images onto uneven surfaces or real objects.The main challenge of projection mapping isto correctly align the digital images and the geometric forms onto which they are to be projected in order to achieve an accurate image resulting from the combination of real object and digital projection. An additional characteristicof the application of video mapping to heritage sites is that they are static installations that can only be used in spaces with dim lighting, such as interiors, to create the desired illusion.Projection mapping has been widely used in activities involving the dissemination and pro-motion of cultural heritage over the past two decades. There are many examples of audiovi- sual shows. In Spain, we might cite the video projection entitled “El despertar del dragón”254 (The awakening of the dragon) on the façade of the Casa Batlló (Barcelona), and the projection presented in 2016 as part of the exhibition La poética de la libertad255 marking the 4th centenary of the death of the writer Miguel de Cervantes on the façade of Cuenca cathedral (Spain). In both cases they involved recreating moments in the history of the buildings, showing the stateof the Casa Batlló before it was remodelled by the architect Antonio Gaudí at the beginningof the twentieth century, and the architectural elements of the un nished cathedral of Cuenca. Both cases illustrate the potential of projection mapping for disseminating heritage, apart from the audiovisual show factor.Taüll 1123A notable case of the use of projection mapping was that carried out on the Romanesque church of San Clemente de Tahull (Vall de Boí, L rida), whose original paintings are housed in the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC),in order to safeguard them. The project, called Taüll 1123,256 began by restoring the plaster copy of the original paintings decorating the apse and led to the recovery of the original remains still preserved in situ. This made it possible to digitally restore and document them through comparison with those housed in the MNAC2. DISSEMINATION, ENHANCEMENT AND EDUCATIONFigure 20 - Projection mapping at the church of San Clemente de Tahull. Screenshot. Source: VimeoThe use of digital technologies in the conservation, analysis and dissemination of cultural heritage