A Method and Platform for the Preservation of Temporary Exhibitions

Abstract

Temporary exhibitions have not only been the oldest, but also the most successful model of art mediation (e.g., the Venice Biennale). In this research work, we are interested in the subject of preserving periodic exhibitions in the form of an interactive virtual memory to be revisited in the future. Although popular forms for doing so include photography, video coverage, and catalogs, we are interested in the implementation of a digital “timestamp” that could provide a digital place of memory and recall. To do so, we are preserving the physical space of an exhibition through 3D digitization technologies, and at the same time, we are digitally encoding the curatorial rationale in the form of digitized exhibits, and their documentation in a semantic metamodel. The result is the synthesis of a pure digital exhibition that acts as a digital twin of its original version, preserved and experienced online as a catalog and virtual tour, and at the same time, available to become immersed in through VR technologies, thus expanding the time and space of its digital existence.