The Foundation for Digital Technology in Conservation has been established as a registered Spanish Foundation (Fundación de Tecnología Digital para la Conservación) dedicated to the use of high-resolution digital recording and exact facsimiles as part of a coherent approach to the preservation of major heritage sites.
Advances in digital technology have rapidly and radically changed our understanding and appreciation of our shared cultural heritage. The conservation and preservation communities have realised the importance of high-resolution digital recording and this data is starting to be integrated into professional protocols. Central to this shift of attitude is a fundamental reappraisal of the role of exact facsimiles both installed in their original location and used in touring exhibitions.
The aim of the foundation is to show that the way we understand the ‘original’ object is part of a dynamic process and not a fixed state of being. When this is successfully presented, works of art reveal their relevance as their complex biographies inform the present. If developed in the right spirit, this shift can be used to turn cultural tourism into a pro-active force assisting in the preservation of important monuments and works of art. The aim of the Foundation is to ensure that future generations can inherit the past in a condition where it can be studied in depth and emotionally engaged with.
The central aim of the foundation will be to create a pool of funds generated from donations, exhibitions and other sources that can be used to seed a variety of projects in parts of the world where the application of technology is limited but where the preservation of cultural heritage is most needed.