reports&publications

Book chapter: Eva Pietroni, Chiara Florise Amadei, Alessandra Chirivì, Bruno Fanini, Daniele Ferdani, Noemi Orazi, Alfonsina Pagano, Patrizia Schettino, 2023: The Codex 4D project: a 4-dimensional journey into the illuminated manuscript. In “Digital Middle Ages. Documents and archives, Art and architecture”, edited by Antonella Ambrosio and Paola Vitolo, Viella editrice Collana:Fuori collana, Rome, 2023. Paper edition ISBN: 9791254692035. https://www.viella.it/libro/9791254692035 Abstract: The book is a choral reflection regarding some material entities that make up the cultural heritage (documents, seals, photographs, paintings, monuments, illuminated manuscripts) which focuses on the methods and critical processes of their representation, as well as on their analysis in the environment digital. This is a sector that is difficult to study, to valorise, to communicate and even to make accessible, and which poses new problems for the organization of research on both a scientific-hermeneutic, disciplinary integration and logistical-financial level. A chapter is dedicated to the Codex4D project, on pp.107-128.

PatentF.Mercuri, S.Paoloni, U. Zammit, N. Orazi, E. Pietroni, E. d’Annibale, D. Ronchi, D. Ferdani: patent application filed for invention “Method for obtaining a three-dimensional digital reconstruction in infrared of a stratigraphically explorable object”, n. 102023000004968 of 16.3.2023 – as part of the project “Codex 4D Journey in 4 dimensions in the illuminated manuscript”. Abstract:The invention concerns a method, based on the use of a thermoreflectographic apparatus, for the three-dimensional digital representation of cultural heritage and their virtual exploration through mid-infrared images, acquired with reflectographic and thermographic techniques.The three-dimensional geometry of an artefact can be reconstructed by directly processing only the infrared images acquired, even in conditions of thermal equilibrium, in the same configuration and with the same thermographic device (thermal camera) used to record, with active thermography techniques, the thermographic sequences that allow the virtual stratigraphic exploration of the internal structure.The virtual model exploration method allows you to:1) display features on its surface that cannot be detected by visual observation of the original;2) dynamically show elements of its internal structure that are not accessible optically.

Contribution in volumeEva Pietroni, Noemi Orazi, Bruno Fanini: Codex4D. Interdisciplinary journey into the ancient manuscript. In Plurilingualism and Migrations, Open access digital series, CNR editions. https://www.cnr.it/it/plurimi Summary The goal of the Codex 4D project, carried out by CNR ISPC and the University of Rome Tor Vergata, is to create an interdisciplinary experience with the ancient codex, from a historical-artistic and diagnostic-conservative point of view. In order to integrate in a coherent space all the information about the visible elements and the hidden elements in the underlying layers of matter, a 4D model of the ancient codex is elaborated, explorable in the three canonical dimensions and in the successive levels of stratigraphic depth . This is made possible by the integration of photogrammetry and reflectography and thermography techniques. Through the creation of a multimedia website, a Web3D environment dedicated to the scientific visualization of the artifact, and a holographic showcase for museums, the project pushes the languages of scientific communication into new territories of experimentation that can arouse emotion and motivate the public to knowledge . Keywords: Manuscripts; Multidisciplinary approach; Documentation of visible and invisible elements; Virtual and mixed reality.

Journal article Patrizia Schettino, Eva Pietroni, Enzo d’Annibale:  Re-thinking visitor experience with ancient manuscripts through the holographic showcase. The case of the project Codex4d and its first public results from a mix method evaluation in situ. In Heritage 2023, Volume 6, Issue9, MDPI, pp.6035-6065; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6090318, https://www.mdpi.com/2571-9408/6/9/318 Abstract Ancient manuscripts are precious and fragile objects, preserved in libraries, museums, and archives. Some of them are masterpieces, made with several materials and insights, butgenerally they are not accessible to wide communities of users. The purpose of this study is to present the preliminary results of the Codex4D project: a holographic showcase, conceivedfor museums, presenting the first 4D model of an ancient manuscript to the public at the Science Festival in Genoa in 2022. The manuscript, preserved in the Angelica Library in Rome, has been represented in a multidimensional digital model, documenting both its visibleand invisible aspects, on the surface and in the stratigraphic layers. We analysed the visitorexperience: informal learning, the meaning-making process, interactions between visitors, and gesture-based interaction with the showcase. The methodology used for evaluation is basedon four different qualitative methods (grounded theory, narrative inquiry, case study, and digital ethnography). We collected notes from observation, narratives from interviews, and answers from structured interviews. The main findings are patterns of the visitors’ experiences with a digital interactive 4D model of an ancient manuscript, supported by storytelling, and a list of design issues and possible improvements for the next version of the Codex4D holographic showcase. Keywords:  ancient manuscript; 4D digital models; holographic showcase; visitor study; mixedmethods; storytelling; gesture-based interaction; grounded theory; ethnography DOWNLOAD DELL’ARTICOLO

Article in volumeEva Pietroni, Alessandra Chirivì, Bruno Fanini, Alberto Bucciero: An innovative approach to shape information architecture related to ancient manuscripts, through multi-layered virtual ecosystems. From Codex4D to DataSpace project. In Proceedings Extended Reality, International Conference XR Salento 2023, Lecce, Italy, September 6-9, 2023; editors Lucio Tommaso De Paolis, Pasquale Arpaia, Marco Sacco, Springer-Nature, Switzerland, Book Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science., Part 2, pp.247-267. ISBN-10 ‏: ‎303143403X, ISBN-13 : ‎978-3031434037Best Paper Award AbstractThis contribution deals with the theme of ancient manuscripts and proposes an innovative approach to the construction of cultural ecosystems and virtual representations capable of integrating information levels of various kinds. This multidisciplinary approach results in a multidimensional virtual representation. The cultural model is differently applied in a plurality of digital environments: 1) a 3D Web App, conceived for the scientific visualisation of the manuscript, the analytical exploration of the virtual model and its information levels; 2) a holographic showcase, conceived for the general public of museums and libraries; 3) an online digital platform, the DataSpace, mostly oriented to the scientific community, whose scope is to semantically organize, preserve in the long term, access, share and re-use information and data set. Keywords: Manuscripts, Virtual ecosystems, Multidisciplinary and multi-dimensional approach

Conference proceedings Orazi N.; Mercuri F.; Paoloni S.; Zammit U.; Caruso G.; D’Annibale E.; Ronchi D.; Ferdani D.; Florise Amadei C.; Pietroni E. (2022): 3D Browsing of historical books by means of Active Infrared Thermography. In ICPPP21 – International Conference on Photoacoustic and Photothermal Phenomena, Bled – Slovenia, 19/06/2022 -24/06/2022, pp.340-341. https://heyzine.com/flip-book/ae82c5ef9b.html#page/351