Digital reconstruction of heritage: case of the sculpture The Purity

Abstract

In the province of Mendoza in 1923, during the government of Carlos W. Lencinas, the sculpture The Purity
was acquired to be placed in the Rose Garden of General San Martín Park. This beautiful work is part of a set
made up of a statue and a small pond, made by the Florentine artist A. Belli. Unfortunately, in 2015 the
sculpture was the victim of anonymous vandalism. Its head was broken off and stolen, and it has remained
decapitated for eight years. As it is considered a work of art, and artistic and cultural heritage, and part of our
community’s social identity, investigation of different technologies that may accomplish its recovery is
essential. One hundred years after its installation, a 3D digital reconstruction is proposed. For this, a
reconstruction of the sculpture will be made in its current state, through photogrammetry. This procedure
requires a number of photos that can be processed by software that will generate a file that can be exported
to a digital sculpture program. Subsequently, the model will be 3D printed on a smaller scale. Restoring the
work would constitute the return of its original meaning, its appreciation and understanding, by resignifying the
historical, aesthetic, and symbolic value it carries.