3D Research for “Calabria Angioina.” Yesterday the inauguration

3D Research offers a fascinating journey through time thanks to The Tale of Ilaria, created for the exhibition on Calabria Angioina.

From October 30, 2023, to January 30, 2024, at the Civic Museum of Altomonte (Cs), the exhibition “Calabria Angioina (1266–1382). Gothic Innovations and Byzantine Tradition at the Dawn of the Late Middle Ages” will be open to the public, under the patronage of the University of Calabria.

The creator and curator of the project is Stefania Paone, Professor of Medieval Art History at the Department of Humanities of the University of Calabria. The exhibition is hosted in the Dominican complex of Santa Maria della Consolazione and illustrates the rich artistic heritage of Calabria during the Angevin period. This artistic legacy bears witness to Gothic and Latin influences enriched by contributions from France through Naples, capital of the Angevin Kingdom, while also reflecting the heritage of Greek and Byzantine culture, demonstrating the long-lasting presence of Eastern traditions in Calabria.

The exhibition itinerary begins at the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione, a Gothic-style building commissioned by Filippo Sangineto, Seneschal of Provence and trusted man of King Robert of Anjou. Here, visitors can immerse themselves in the 3D reconstruction of the monument, developed by 3D Research, through The Tale of Ilaria – A Virtual Journey into the Church of Altomonte. By wearing VR headsets customized with the image of the church’s rose window, visitors are transported back in time and can explore the medieval interior, the changes in furnishings over the centuries, and discover the original appearance of the building during the Angevin era. For this virtual journey, there is a very special guide: Ilaria Sanseverino (voiced by Emilia Brandi), Countess of Altomonte and Corigliano, who narrates the story of Filippo Sangineto and the County of Altomonte, one of the most important fiefs of 14th-century Calabria. The script was written by Professor Paone and Andrea Belcastro.

The visit continues at the adjacent Civic Museum, which hosts a vast collection of more than 40 works of art: goldsmithery, sculptures, documents, painted panels, and drawings. These pieces come from various parts of Calabria and, in many cases, are being exhibited for the first time. The collection is organized into five thematic sections, accompanied by informational panels and multimedia projections to provide a comprehensive and in-depth perspective.

The contribution of 3D Research to the exhibition inside the Civic Museum consists of two video installations. The first is an animation showing the original polychromy of the Funerary Monument of Isabella of Aragon, located in the Cathedral of Cosenza. The second is the reproduction of a 13th-century Byzantine fresco from Caulonia, recently restored, depicting the iconographic theme of the Deësis (meaning “supplication”), with animated and translated inscriptions.

The press conference inaugurating the exhibition, held on Monday, October 30, in the Razetti Hall of the Civic Museum, featured speeches by the Mayor of Altomonte Giampietro Coppola, exhibition curator Stefania Paone, Director of 3D Research Fabio Bruno, Maria Mallemace from the Regional Secretariat of the Ministry of Culture, and Domenico Bloise, Director of the Civic Museum of Altomonte.

A fruitful collaboration was carried out for Calabria Angioina (1266–1382) between Humanities, Cultural Heritage, and new technologies, which made it possible to recover history and restore works of the past in a form that we could not otherwise have known today.

CREDITS

The Tale of Ilaria – A Virtual Journey into the Church of Altomonte
Concept: Stefania Paone, Fabio Bruno and Maurizio Muzzupappa
Script: Stefania Paone and Andrea Belcastro
Voice: Emilia Brandi
Production Coordination: Fabrizio Fuoco
3D Survey: Fabrizio Fuoco and Umberto Severino
3D Modeling and Animation: Raffaele Peluso, Francesco Amendola, João Vitor Soares de Souz
Editing and Post-Production: Raffaele Peluso, Paola di Cuia and Fabrizio Fuoco
Production: 3D Research

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Video Installations
Editing: Paola di Cuia
Graphics: Chenza Trombetta, Paola di Cuia and Anita Brandi