Digital Technologies for the Fruition of Archaeological Heritage. The Visualisation of the Temple C Metopes Polychrome in Selinunte

Abstract

Through the tools of the representation this paper investigates a hypothetical virtual re-presentation of the metopes original polychromies. The reconstructive interpretative process was carried out through a critical reading of historical and iconographic sources. Starting from the reading of drawings made by Angell and Harris at the time of the archaeological finds, of Hittorff’s studies and watercolors, and of some coloured fragments still observable in the original metopes, the graphic elaborations that simulate the original polychromes have been prepared. The purpose of this study and of the analysis here described is the experimentation of an interactive visualisation application (augmented reality) designed for the “Antonino Salinas” Regional Archaeological Museum of Palermo. The study is part of the repertoire of virtual reconstructions, through the use of light, of lost colour configurations. The project aims to propose a new modality for the use of archaeological finds, thanks to an inedited teaching and immersive experience of the metopes and to the experimentation of a new visual environment that overlaps the real one leading to rethink the relationship between reality and its representation.