ARCHiVe

Project Technology: Photogrammetry

Medardo Rosso: Analysing Differences in Wax Castings

Renders from the 3D model of Bambino Ebreo © Factum Foundation
Renders from the 3D model of Bambino Ebreo © Factum Foundation
Analysis of the recordings of the different versions of Bambino Ebreo © Factum Foundation
The cast and the facsimile of Medardo Rosso’s La Portinaia © Oak Taylor-Smith Factum Foundation
Juan Carlos Arias working on the facsimile of the beeswax maquette © Oak Taylor-Smith Factum Foundation

2023 – Ongoing

ARCHiVe is collaborating with Dr Sharon Hecker on a project aimed at contributing to the conservation, study, and dissemination of the work of Medardo Rosso (1858-1928).

Reference

ÉQUIPE

  • Juan Carlos Andrés Arias | Factum Arte
  • Carlos Bayod Lucini | Factum Foundation
  • Carolina Gris | Factum Foundation
  • Imran Khan | Factum Foundation
  • Pedro Mirò | Factum Foundation
  • Marina Luchetti | Factum Foundation
  • Gabriel Scarpa | Factum Foundation
  • Oak Taylor Smith | Factum Foundation
  • Sharon Hecker | Art Historian and Curator

THE PROJECT

The project involves the application of non-contact digital technology to obtaining high-resolution 3D data of a series of bronzes and wax sculptures by Rosso.

One line of work has involved recording a selection of the busts, comprising both wax and bronze casts, from Rosso’s Bambino Ebreo series using close-range photogrammetry, and in specific cases, complementing it with structured-light scanning as an additional technique. Factum Foundation has recorded five Bambino Ebreo busts in different museums and private collections, around Venice and other locations in Italy.

Based on the captured information, 3D models have been prepared and made accessible as online viewers, enabling Dr Hecker and other experts to inspect the data from any computer or device. In addition to the items recorded by Factum Foundation, another 9 models previously recorded have been added to the viewing platform, making a total of 16 items. Thanks to the viewer, it is possible to compare side by side any pair of models (zooming in on specific details, rotating the viewpoint, etc.) facilitating a close inspection of the busts in an intuitive, easy way.

A second line of work has focused on La Portinaia, another relevant work by Rosso of which various versions exist. Factum Foundation has recorded the sculpture at Tortona’s Museo Il Divisionismo and Venice’s Museo Ca’ Pesaro.

By request of the Pinacoteca Il Divisionismo, Factum also produced two physical reproductions of the artwork: a white 3D print and a facsimile made in natural beeswax and plaster. The reproductions will remain in the museum’s collection to facilitate the conservation, study and dissemination of Rosso’s working process.

OBJECTIVES

Apart from creating an archive of highly detailed models of the shape, texture, and colour of the different artworks, the main goal is to establish an objective comparison (in terms of form, dimensions, etc.) among the existing versions of famous serial sculptures – such as Bambino Ebreo or La Portinaia. 

Technologies

Photogrammetry

Photogrammetry is a 3D recording technique that uses 2D images to create a digital 3D model of an object or surface. It involves taking hundreds of overlapping photographs and processing them using sp[...]
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Recording Banksy’s Migrant Child and monitoring Venice Lagoon

Gabriel Scarpa recording the Migrant Child from a boat © Factum Foundation
A test of the facsimile © Factum Foundation

2019 – 2022

ARCHiVe decided to record The Migrant Child in high-resolution to demonstrate the urgent need to preserve and document cultural heritage before it is lost or damaged. 

Reference

équipe

  • Carlos Alonso | Factum Arte
  • Silvia Álvarez | Factum Arte
  • Nicolas Béliard | Factum Foundation
  • Florencio Martínez Tortosa | Factum Arte
  • Pedro Miró | Factum Foundation
  • Rafa Rachewsky | Factum Arte
  • Pedro Vicente Salafranca Hernández | Factum Arte
  • Gabriel Scarpa | Factum Foundation
  • Oak Taylor Smith | Factum Foundation

project

ARCHiVe is devoted to preserving Venice’s culture; its contemporary life as well as its historic past.

During the 2019 Venice Biennale, the pink flare of Banksy’s The Migrant Child first appeared just above the waterline on a palace facing the Canal of Dorsoduro in Venice. In the same year, amid flooding and rumours that the mural was scheduled for removal, ARCHiVe decided to record The Migrant Child in high-resolution to demonstrate the urgent need to preserve and document cultural heritage before it is lost or damaged. 

From 2022 this year the Factum team finalized the processing of the data and rematerialised the painting and a section of the wall around it.

The high-resolution photogrammetry was recorded by Gabriel Scarpa, operating from a distance in a boat in the canal, which was a significant challenge. However, the results have encouraged a study into the condition of the wall and will enable a detailed condition monitoring of the work. The work to monitor the condition of the impact of the water on the fabric of the city is a core part of ARCHiVe’s mission. The Divirod sensors, installed on the island, are monitoring the level of the water, the wind direction, the wave frequency and the wave intensity 24/7 using ambient signals from passing satellites.

viewer

Technologies

Photogrammetry

Photogrammetry is a 3D recording technique that uses 2D images to create a digital 3D model of an object or surface. It involves taking hundreds of overlapping photographs and processing them using sp[...]
Show more

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Tonal map image of the Island © Factum Foundation for ARCHiVe
Point-cloud render of the Island © Factum Foundation for ARCHiVe
3D render of the façade of San Giorgio Maggiore Church © Factum Foundation for ARCHiVe
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Tonal map image of the Island © Factum Foundation for ARCHiVe

Reference

the project

ARCHiVe has collaborated since the beginning with Cini’s Research Institutes and Centres, providing working tools and know-how for proper digital acquisition and documents management.

From July 2020, a team from Factum Foundation spent twelve days in Venice recording the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, focusing especially on the monumental areas, and documenting the conservation state of the buildings. After the acqua alta of November 2019 reached the highest recorded level in fifty years, ARCHiVe’s aim of efficiently and effectively aiding the preservation of Venice’s fragile cultural heritage acquired a new note of urgency.

This ARCHiVe project, linked with EPFL’s Venice Time Machine, involved the collaboration of the three partners.

During January 2022 the team from Factum Foundation continued with the large-scale digitisation of the Island recording the Teatro Verde and the Vatican Chapels in the woods of Fondazione Giorgio Cini.

objectives

The aim of the project is to demonstrate that technologies such as aerial and ground-based photogrammetry and LiDAR recording could eventually be employed to digitally acquire the whole of Venice or other cities, both for preservation and enhancement purposes.

 

Methodologies

1. Recording the monumental area of San Giorgio Maggiore in 2020

The first day saw the recording of the interior of the Palladian church, the apse and the inside of the bell tower, while the following days were dedicated to the exterior of the church and the crypt.

The Island was then recorded from more than 600 different recording spots, from which a massive 60,000 million-point cloud was generated.

2. LiDAR recording in 2020

Buildings and spaces recorded with LiDAR 3D scanning in 2020:

Main docks, Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore (interior and crypt), Conclave, Campanile, Chiostro Palladiano, Scala di Longhena, Presidenza of the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Cenacolo Palladiano, Sala delle Fotografie, Chiostro Cipressi, Sala Carnelutti, Biblioteca Manica Lunga, Biblioteca Longhena, Sale Convitto (exterior), Sala Arazzi, Padiglione Capriate, Piscina, ARCHiVe (first floor), Auditorium Lo Squero.

3. Photogrammetry recording in 2020

Architecture, sculptures and art pieces recorded with photogrammetry in 2020:

Basilica di San Giorgio Maggiore (facade elements as niche sculptures, shield, text, and interiors elements as altar, choir seating, lectern), Chiostro Palladiano (North and West wall), Scalone Monumentale del Longhena (including the niche sculptures and the ground floor ling), the Well of the Chiostro dei Cipressi, Majolica vases in the Secretary General’s offices, sculptures in the gardens (including Ezra Pound’s head sculpted by Henri Gaudier-Brzeska), Il sogno di Giacobbe by Valentin Lefèvre, Manica Lunga, Sala del Soffitto.

4. Recording the Vatican Chapels and Teatro Verde in 2022

The team spent two days recording the Vatican Chapels, inside, outside and from above.
After the first 3D recording carried out in January 2022 (using LiDAR and aerial drone-based photogrammetry), a second 3D recording of the Teatro Verde was carried out in June 2022 to fill in missing data and to enable a better integration of the LiDAR and photogrammetry, but with the main intent of including the Vatican Chapels into the recording of the entire island of San Giorgio Maggiore. Factum Foundation team digitised not only the entire area of the open-air amphitheatre (1,400 square metres with a seating capacity of 1,500 people), but also part of the understage area (12 individual dressing rooms, 8 rooms for minor actors or choirs, deposits and storerooms for equipment).

5. Post-processing and results

The majority of the post processing is completed and a 3D model of the whole Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice is being prepared.

The creation of virtual tours or interactive viewers based on this data will improve remote accessibility and prove valuable for didactic purposes.

Technologies

The technologies used were: LiDAR scanning (using a Leica RTC360), Ground-based photogrammetry (using a Sony A7Riv camera), Drone DJI Air 2S.

LiDAR 3D Scanning

LiDAR is a 3D recording method that uses laser pulses to measure distance. It produces a 'point cloud' of xyz coordinates, which can be turned into a 3D model. LiDAR complements other recording method[...]
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Photogrammetry

Photogrammetry is a 3D recording technique that uses 2D images to create a digital 3D model of an object or surface. It involves taking hundreds of overlapping photographs and processing them using sp[...]
Show more