3D Documentation for the Conservation and Restoration of Contemporary Works of Art: The Sculptures of Maurizio Savini

As part of its five-year university course “Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage”, “Carlo Bo” Urbino University has introduced a study programme involving the sculptures of the contemporary artists, which are particularly significant in terms of three-dimensional experimentation for the documentation and conservation of the works. In the case, the work of Maurizio Savini belongs to a contemporary artistic context – where matter becomes increasingly ephemeral and streamlined – making it more important than ever to have a scientific analytic tool that ensures good acquisition. The fundamental problem is once again, in the work of art itself, and during acquisition, that of making a distinction between what is relevant or irrelevant, identifying information that is or will become fundamental in time due to its specificity and the choice of documentation techniques that best meet these needs. The importance of correct data acquisition thus becomes a fundamental stage for understanding how to manage the project, and is in fact a pre-diagnosis of the work of art as well as a trace for future conservation works. The documentation of works of art like those in question must necessarily include acquisition systems that are able to record objects with complex and varied volumes with extreme precision. The development of hardware and software for three-dimensional acquisition makes it possible to diversify results, according to the morphological characteristics of the objects analysed. One of the most important aspects of this work is the methodology used to catalogue the individual items and their positioning in space, and to evaluate the state of conservation on 3D models.