The replaced image. Reconstruction, copy and representation of the lost cultural heritage‬‬‬

Abstract

Starting from the 1945, the restoration practices of the cultural properties damaged and destroyed due to a traumatic cause chose often the mimetic strategy. A typical example is the Stare Miasto, the oldest part of Warsaw, destroyed during the World War Two, rebuilt and after included in the Unesco World Heritage List. More recently, the Stari Most (old bridge) of Mostar, a symbol of the Croat–Bosniak War, was rebuilt in the same way. The real motivations of these reconstructions à l’identique are very often identitarian rather than historical or artistic. Facing the urgency to fill the void left by the loss in the identity of the community, the copy takes a value of truth. Some innovative aspects of this phenomenon are emerged in the last years: the technical possibilities, as virtual reconstructions or 3D prints, allow to realize perfect, or even iper-realist, copies of the lost objects. Furthermore, the identitarian quality of the cultural heritage goes beyond the national border: lately some transnational projects have been created to realize virtual or 3D reconstructions of Palmyra (e.g. the Arch of Triumph recreated in London). However, there is currently a lot of debate between the enthusiastic supporters of mimetic reconstruction and more cautious positions, seeing risks and ambiguities of these restorations. Reflecting on the formal effect of these reconstructions (even replacements) and, in some cases, on their political implications, some artists have recently realized works related to this phenomenon (e.g. the early Christian church in Siponto recreated by Edoardo Tresoldi or The Other Nefertiti of Nora Al-Badri and Jam Nikolai Nelles).