Browsing by Author "Forte, Maurizio"

Vernacular architectural studies are an integral part of the world’s cultural heritage research. Compared with other tangible or intangible cultural heritage, the physical properties of vernacular architecture and its site-specific nature make it difficult to be physically exhibited in museums, thus limiting the dissemination of vernacular culture and impeding the potential conservation awareness of its audiences. The development of new media technology in the 21st century, represented by virtual reality in particular, has helped to alleviate this cultural communication deadlock. This thesis focuses on the traditional architecture of Huizhou, and consists of a written paper and a digital project. The written paper explores the origins of Huizhou culture and discusses how long-term developments in ethnography, social history, and the natural environment have influenced the unique appearance and design concepts of Huizhou architecture. Moreover, based on the spatial affordances of digital media, the paper discusses how virtual reality (VR) technology can enhance the experience of, accessibility to, and interactivity with Huizhou architecture as represented through 3D reconstruction. The digital part of the thesis is a VR application called “Virtual Huizhou,” and was developed in Unreal Engine 5. This application is a 3D reconstruction of Yin Yu Tang. It will also demonstrate the role of VR in enhancing visitors’ interests and evoking cultural and emotional experiences through the following aspects: 3D models, interface design, and user experience functionalities.

This dissertation demonstrates that the development of monumental public architecture occurred contemporaneously in urban centers of both Latium and Etruria in the late 6th century BC and argues that its catalyst was a profound shift in socio-political organization that took place throughout Central Italy. It analyses these developments through a lens of spatial theory, especially that of environment behavior studies, to understand how they impacted urban societies of Central Italy. The link between the construction of novel public structures in the Roman Forum and the political upheaval of the late 6th century BC has been well established in previous scholarship. New architectural forms lent shape to the Forum, providing the built environment of Rome with an explicitly public space reflective of its new Republican organization. Yet it was not an isolated phenomenon. It can be detected in the urban form of several contemporaneous Latin and Etruscan cities. While the historical record of these cities is far less robust than that of Rome, their archaeological record supports the conclusion that a similar political shift transpired across the larger region of Central Italy during the late 6th and early 5th centuries. In addition to Rome, cities such as Satricum, Caere, and Vulci constructed monumental tripartite temples, public squares, and assembly halls for the first time. These structures appear as a linked assembly and are innovative in their architectural form, but more importantly in their conceptual configuration as explicitly public structures. They not only facilitated the habitual behaviors of the offices of state and citizen bodies that were gradually introduced during this period but also symbolically represented the authority of the state itself. Previously, the regiae and domestic courtyard complexes of local rulers had served as loci for both private and public activity in early archaic cities. The newfound spatial delineation between public and private is reflective of the elaboration of state level organization that saw individual identity and political authority formally separated through the institution of official offices.

In 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ rallied in Charlottesville. Then in 2018 Identity Evropa placed fliers on college campuses across America. In 2021 rioters stormed Capitol Hill. The uniting theme, apart from racist claims of white superiority, was the imagery of ancient Greece and Rome. The use of symbols, artwork, and quotations from classical antiquity. There were Roman legion flags in Charlottesville, Greek and Roman statues on the fliers, and Greek helmets at the Capitol. This public pattern of the alt-right misuse of this ancient imagery begs the question; what behavior does the American public now associate with antiquity?I’ve created an AI model for a museum exhibition to navigate this debate from the perspective of Roman historian, Cassius Dio. Dio’s obscurity, brash tone, and extensive bibliography make him an optimal model candidate. Creating this model involves considering the ethical implications of recreating a person without their permission or input, the misinterpretation of such figures by academia, and the role of data mining and its use. I close with a discussion on how the agency of such a model can impact public perception of a figure’s beliefs, and how this could be used to solidify opinion as fact in the public eye.

The Etruscan-Roman city of Vulci is one of many Etruscan cities which lacks a detailed and holistic understanding of its urban development. Vulci represents a rare site that was not covered by modern structures and thus presents a unique opportunity for a city-scale examination of the transformation of urban space over a millennium of occupation. In order to address this query while most of the site is still unexcavated, an innovative method was created for this project. This ‘n’-dimensional approach layers a series of geospatial and historical data, largely relying on new, non-invasive remote sensing surveys. The main sensors and data sets include a series of older aerial photographs (1954, 1975, 1986), a geological and landscape survey from 2014, multi-spectral aerial images from surveys between 2015 and 2017 ranging from normal-colored to red edge to near infrared bands, and two ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys from 2015 and 2018. The analyses and interpretations from this multi-modal method builds a more holistic and nuanced understanding of the urbanization and transformation of Vulci. Conclusions from spatial analysis suggest a relative order for the development of the Etruscan-Roman street-grid, offering a new framework for the contextualization of other urban features. Further, evidence points to the northeast area with its unique structure orientation and connection to Northeastern Acropolis as the first settled space on the plateau during the 8th century BCE after shifting away from the Villanovan era settlement on La Pozzatella. Analysis also indicates numerous new features, including multiple public buildings in the Western Forum with major phases of transformation first in the 6th-5th century BCE while under Etruscan control and then again during the early Imperial period while under Roman control. Other features include a ‘basilica’-like/Augusteum structure, at least one additional temple, several administrative buildings, and multiple residential structures with atriums and impluviums. The urban development of Vulci implies a revitalization of the city and re-emergence of power during the Roman Imperial period, contradicting the previous notion that Vulci slowly but steadily declined post-conquest. These conclusions situate Vulci in a new place in not only in Etruscan urbanization but also in period the cultural transformation during Rome’s expansion into Etruria. Furthermore, the success of the multi-perspective, layered approach allows for its use in other studies as well as further refinement and advancement of the methodology.

In recent years, digital technology has become ubiquitous in the museum. They have changed the ways museums document, preserve and present cultural heritage. Now, we are exploring if there are some ways that could provide more historical context to a displayed object and make an exhibition more immersive. Therefore, we did a project called “The Virtual Reality Touch Museum” and used an experiment to test if such museum performs better on “Presence” and learning achievements. As the results show, our VR Touch Museum was outstanding in “presence” but more research is necessary to verify how effective it is for learning.