The ephemeral apparatuses that Andrea Pozzo proposed in his treatise Perspectiva pictorum et architectorum can be considered an example of Extended Reality ante litteram. This consideration gave rise to the idea of developing some Augmented Reality experiences to introduce, to the general public, the Circular Work, one of the illusory tabernacles proposed by Pozzo for the celebration of the Forty Hours. Through Augmented Reality, in fact, one can simulate the presence of the illusory apparatus inside the church of St. Ignatius in Rome, where Pozzo himself set it up for the celebration of Holy Thursday and Good Friday, but also make visible the geometric principles underlying the illusory artifice. During the European Researchers’ Night 2023, visitors to the church of St. Ignatius were able to use different applications, of varying technical complexity, directly in the church, experiencing the illusory artifice and learning the principles that make it possible. On this occasion it was possible to verify how the illusory suggestion conveyed through Augmented Reality experiences is effective even in the case of its simplest variants.
Exploring Lorenz Stöer’s Imaginary Space Using Augmented Reality: Geometria et Perspectiva
This paper investigates the sixteenth-century woodcuts contained in Lorenz Stöer’s Geometria et Perspectiva (1567) through digital reconstruction and Augmented Reality applications. The study analyzes the perspectival logic, geometric solids, and imaginary spatial compositions represented in the engravings, aiming to understand how Stöer constructed visual worlds that oscillate between representation and illustration. By combining historical research, geometric decoding, 3D modelling, and marker-based AR, the authors propose a multimedia exhibition where visitors can explore the hidden three-dimensional spaces behind the drawings and reconstruct possible viewing systems such as perspectographs. The AR experience enables users to compare represented, perceived, and imagined spaces, transforming historical prints into interactive learning environments. The research demonstrates how AR can enhance the interpretation and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage, making complex concepts of geometry, perception, and Renaissance visual culture accessible to wider audiences.
Augmented Reality as a Research Tool, for the Knowledge and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage
Starting from a reflection on the new role of digital technology in this pandemic situation, and partic-ularly the role of AR for Cultural Heritage, this paper presents two AR applications. The first is used to share the analyses carried out on the Pantheon surveys realized between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. The second is about the illusionistic dome in the Church of Sant’Ignazio in Rome, realized by Andrea Pozzo. These two applications can display three–dimensional models superimposed onto images and original drawings, and also two–dimensional contents: the results of graphical analysis carried out on digital copies. The final aim of this ongoing research is to develop some AR multimedia content, linked to semantic concepts.