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May digital reconstruction tools help preserving the material and evocative value of fragments? The case of Victor Horta’s Hôtel Aubecq in Brussels.
Houbart, Claudine; Hallot, Pierre
2021In Schädler-Saub, Ursula; Weyer, Angela (Eds.) Das Fragment im Digitalen Zeitalter. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen neuer Techniken in der Restaurierung. Proceedings of the interdisciplinary conference of the HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen in cooperation with ICOMOS AG Konservierung-Restaurierung and the Verband der Restauratoren e. V., May 7-8, 2021 in Hildesheim
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Keywords :
architectural fragment; digital reconstruction
Abstract :
[en] Built between 1900 and 1904 along the avenue Louise in Brussels, the hôtel Aubecq is considered one of the masterpieces of Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta. But it was also one of the first victims of the disaffection from which this ephemeral artistic movement suffered and of the real estate speculation that led, in the post-World War II period, to the disappearance of many historical buildings in favour of more profitable ones. In 1948, the building is sold by the descendants of Gustave Aubecq, and two years later, demolished and replaced by apartment buildings. Only a few people protest against this demolition : as illustrated by the demolition of the Maison du Peuple more than 15 years later, it will still take time for Art Nouveau to regain public interest. But on the initiative of Horta’s widow together with one of the architect’s latest collaborators, Jean Delhaye, the dismantling of the main façade of the building is funded by the Ministry of Public works. During the next half century, the fragments of the façade (composed of around 600 stones as well as window frames and metalworks), which are the property of Belgian State, are moved several times from one site to another. Discussions and projects periodically arise, all of them considering the rebuilding of the façade : the debates are limited to the question whether it should be reused in the construction of a building, or whether it should be rebuilt in a museum context. In 2000, the fragments are handed in by the State to the Brussels Region, right at the moment when four of the main creations of the architect, all situated in Brussels, are inscribed on the World Heritage List, and Art Nouveau architecture becomes one of the main touristic assets of the capital. In that context, a study and thorough digital survey of the fragments is commissioned1, leading to a horizontal anastylosis of the façade, made public by an exhibition in 20112. But this initiative didn’t lead to any concrete long-term projects, and the stone fragments, which have remained in the warehouse where the exhibition took place, have been vandalised while the window frames have been partially burned and the metalworks, probably sold for the price of the metal. In consequence, the Brussels Region has decided to store the fragments in containers, and to ask the architects in charge of the new KANAL Contemporary Art Centre, to valorise them in collaboration with the CIVA (Centre international pour Ville, l’Architecture et le Paysage) inside the new complex. During the last year, and exhibition of a few stones and further debates have been organised inside the future museum.3 This exhibition is an invitation to broaden the range of possibilities for the fragments valorization: 16 stones, positioned on an orthogonal grid on te ground, are presented as separate art objects. Our research on this very stimulating issue started with a workshop we organised with students of the University of Liège, in collaboration with the institutions, architects and administrations involved in March 2019. This lead us to consider the opportunities and limits of the use of the available digital survey of the fragments for the valorisation projet. As to the opportunities, it appears that the existence of a digital clone may help develop two opposed valorisation choices at the same time: reconstruction, and preservation of the fragmentary state. As shown by the guestbook of the 2011 exhibition, a large part of the public would like the façade to be rebuilt, in order to recover or at least be able to perceive a part of the lost masterpiece. The fact that the digitisation took place before the disappearance or degradation of some elements makes it possible to virtually rebuilt the whole façade. But at the same time, the fragments in themselves bear very strong scientific and evocative values: the perception of their scale, texture and details delivers important information on construction history, as well as a powerful evocation of the fragility of heritage in the face of fluctuating value judgments through time, a value that would disappear with a material reconstruction. As to the limits, we have to bear in mind that the fragments have been digitised more than ten years ago, with technologies that have continued to evolve in terms of completeness and accuracy (to include, i.a. information on texture, colour, etc). The fragments storage environment makes it impossible to scan anew: so besides the reflection on valorisation options, the research also aims to study how, starting from a mesh acquisition resulting from a white light scanner, we can propose a digital reconstruction of the facade considering the difficulties of the old acquisition’s use and the inadequacy between the current representation objectives and the initial documentation criteria’s.
Research center :
AAP - Art, Archéologie et Patrimoine - ULiège
Disciplines :
Art & art history
Engineering, computing & technology: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Architecture
Author, co-author :
Houbart, Claudine  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'Architecture > Architecture Site Outremeuse
Hallot, Pierre  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'Architecture > Relevé, étude et représentation géom. et du patrimoine bâti
Language :
English
Title :
May digital reconstruction tools help preserving the material and evocative value of fragments? The case of Victor Horta’s Hôtel Aubecq in Brussels.
Publication date :
2021
Event name :
The Fragment in the Digital Age
Event organizer :
HAWK - University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim
Event place :
Hildesheim, Germany
Event date :
from 7.5.2021 to 8.5.2021
Audience :
International
Main work title :
Das Fragment im Digitalen Zeitalter. Möglichkeiten und Grenzen neuer Techniken in der Restaurierung. Proceedings of the interdisciplinary conference of the HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen in cooperation with ICOMOS AG Konservierung-Restaurierung and the Verband der Restauratoren e. V., May 7-8, 2021 in Hildesheim
Main work alternative title :
[en] The Fragment in the Digital Age. Opportunities and limitations of new conservation-restoration techniques
Editor :
Schädler-Saub, Ursula
Weyer, Angela
Publisher :
Hendrik Bässler Verlag, Berlin, Germany
ISBN/EAN :
978-3-945880-69-2
Collection name :
Schriften des Hornemann Instituts, vol. 21
Pages :
107-123
Peer reviewed :
Peer reviewed
Available on ORBi :
since 31 August 2019

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