Medieval Padua: Digital Cultural Heritage: Medieval Padua Art in the UNESCO World Heritage List

Design Prospectives – Local or Global

Starting from Donna Gabaccia’s study of Italy through its “many diasporas,” I examine the nostalgic celebration of a distant past, through digital tools, both for viewers in the area studies, and for those far away from it. The digital diaspora brings together content and inspires a deeper understanding of medieval frescoes as part of an interconnected artistic style. On the other hand, local cultural heritage benefits from digital methods and communication to share both visual evidence and the material tools to present contents, provide accurate interpretations, and prompt discussions. On an emotional level, there is possibly the prospect of comfort and cultural belonging, both in terms of an individual connection, and an international community, at the idea that there is a potential cultural connection, out there – both local residents and online viewers knowing similar circumstances of distance from historical artworks and artifacts.

In light of the UNESCO recognition, this paper discusses case studies and current readings of cultural heritage as aligned with in person, and opposed to digital experiences. Drawing from Saramago's fictional passages on Padua medieval art, which were inspired by his in-person visit in Italy, how can we integrate the local vs global conversation in the classroom? Original locations, and current ones offer an alternative reading of migrations, as art travels across borders and finds a forever home at a cultural heritage institution.

Through spatial datasets of primary and secondary sources and visualizations of digital art, and map collections, outcomes include digital maps along with other forms of visualization, in a Scalar (or Omeka) digital collection and exhibition that we would design, with reference to the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) for interactive applications of digital images such as deep zoom, comparison, and annotation of medieval fresco cycles in Padua. As co-chair in the IIIF Outreach Community Group, I am aware that digital images offer a great alternative to in-person study of artworks.

While Giotto’s work is well known, as he was commissioned to paint the Scrovegni Chapel, however, not much is known about other artists whose fresco cycles were so popular, that Padua became a cultural hub for that artistic medium. For example, Guariento di Arpo is more closely known for working in Venice and Padua, and for his artworks in that area, and the paintings now found as far as The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Getty Museum.
 

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