Virtual modelling in historical architecture. Notes on (potential) reversibility of restauration

The theme explore the potential of virtuality to simulate a restoration considering the possible interactions with matter and protecting the ancient original values. The ‘virtual restoration’ of an image seems to be, therefore, an ideal tool for combining different ordinary cognitive means: it can actually be used to optimise the understanding of textual information without acting on the ‘matter of the work’, so that its impact is reversible at all times and in any case. The main, albeit not the only, target of virtual restoration is to reproduce the appearance the work would have, once cleaned or restored: the virtual restoration of an image, not of a physical document, can collect information that, although missing in the original, cannot be directly inferred from its current condition. The added value of using virtual reality methods on the cultural heritage lies in the chance of providing experiences and therefore implementing cognitive processes, even in the absence of physical objects.