IED and Artribune: The Restoration of the Future starts here!

From September 2022, IED - Istituto Europeo di Design, of which Accademia Aldo Galli in Como has been a member since 2010, has been making the covers of Artribune magazine, exploring contemporary themes such as the contamination between Art and Technology, Man and Nature, Real and Virtual. These covers are not just images, but real stories.

In fact, the three digitally reconstructed 3D boats featured on cover No. 78 of the magazine tell us about the marriage of new technologies and restoration. The authors of this project are Chiara Laboni, Francesca Caproni di Taliedo, Ana Ruxandra Gavriliu and Aurora Bordin, students and alumnae of the Five-Year Degree Program in Restoration involved by the Museo della Barca Lariana in the restoration of three precious boats: a historic Lake Como gondola, dated between 1860 and 1870; the Runabout from the Guido Abbate shipyards, dating back to the 1950s; and the 1830s Villa Carlotta rowing lance.

The project has two phases: an initial analysis with photogrammetry and 3D prototyping to assess the state of conservation, followed by a restoration phase. 

The process of digitization by photogrammetry required meticulous photographic documentation, which, in addition to being used to create the digital model and plan the various interventions of the restoration, has become an important digital archival trail. The transition from simple photos to the 3D model has several advantages: it allows very accurate measurements, digital remodeling of missing parts, and generally more precise analysis of the object's state of preservation.

The connection between virtual and real therefore enriches restoration, introducing new methodologies such as reality capture, digital fabrication, and the use of AI for automated analysis. 

This project represents a synthesis of new technologies and conservation science and demonstrates how techniques of modern design and traditional restoration can coexist in harmony having mutual benefit.