Abstract
The Austrian art historian Alois Riegl (1858–1905) revolutionised the European concept of the monument and paved the way towards the codification of the historicity of artefacts at the international level. Today, conservation work and relevant terminology still build upon the principles first outlined in his work Der moderne Denkmalkultus (1903) more than a hundred years ago. And yet, modern information/communication technologies have long challenged the idea of ‘age value’ (Alterswert), of a monument possessing value simply because it shows ‘signs of age’ (Altersspuren), through their ability to digitally recreate historical architecture in its original form and thereby to transcend the boundaries of time and space. This paper discusses the challenges and opportunities for monument preservation in the 21st century in the light of Riegl’s thoughts on how to perceive (‘visualise’) the past. It investigates the validity of Riegl’s theories in the context of today’s virtual reality/ies at a theoretical level, and their potential for advancement in preservation theory, expanding on historical thoughts rooted in 18th and 19th century preservation theories. By analysing Riegl’s commemorative values, stratigraphic picturing of history’s material debris, and fear of formlessness, this paper explores digitisation as the driving force for change in attitude from traditional, restrictive thinking to a modern way of thinking which is receptive to new technological developments, including, for example, exploring augmented and virtual realities as a means of achieving the sensory aesthetic experience required by age value.
Highlights
The famous line by the French art critic Louis Dimier (1865–1943) mockingly describes Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s (1755–1849) interpretive rational restoration of the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne, France, to its supposedly pristine state
In comparison with the West, this means that: first, historical memory becomes detached from physical substance and signs of demise which is the key to the Eurocentric understanding of age value; and second, the speed at which time elapses, evident in the stages of deterioration a monument goes through, can be accelerated, switching from existent to non-existent modes in the space of a moment, but without having to sacrifice the viewer’s subjective awareness and sensitivity to the passage of time
The 21st century poses new challenges to the traditionally conservative and protective field of monument preservation, but an encounter between history and cutting edge technologies opens up new possibilities for viewing the past
Summary
The famous line by the French art critic Louis Dimier (1865–1943) mockingly describes Eugène Viollet-le-Duc’s (1755–1849) interpretive rational restoration of the medieval fortified town of Carcassonne, France, to its supposedly pristine state. KEYWORDS Alois Riegl, Austrian (Habsburg) Empire, modern conservation theory, material authenticity, age value (Alterswert), digital environment, virtual reality/ies, aesthetic experience, stratigraphic picturing, conjectural recovery
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