How to Enhance Perception of Reassembled but Incomplete Works of Ancient Art? Eye-Tracking Study of Virtual Anastylosis

Abstract

In 1964 the Venice Charter described anastylosis as the only acceptable method of reassembly of architectural remains. Although the scientific community has agreed with the Charter’s decision, many questions pertaining to the technical and aesthetic aspects of anastylosis remain unanswered. Virtual anastylosis seems one of the most promising digital solutions to finding at least some answers, as it permits testing various solutions before carrying out the actual physical re-erection of a damaged monument. Studying such variants with eye-trackers allows the participation of non-professional viewers at the very beginning of the process, that is at the design stage. By understanding how ordinary people look at different reconstructions, professionals and scholars can determine which elements would assist and which would hinder the instinctive assessment of the object’s value and history. This study compares perceptions of three variants of the same column. A total of 232 people were divided into three groups and asked to examine different types of anastyloses: with an empty cavity, with a cavity filled with a brighter stone, and with a cavity filled with a stone of the same color and texture as the rest of the column. Their perception of the columns was then analyzed using several parameters, including the number of fixations, the time spent looking at individual elements, and the chronological order in which the parts of the stimuli was taken in. This paper explores the benefits and the potential of this new research tool as well as offers a more detailed look at what a viewer-friendly model of anastylosis may be like.