Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges

The fires at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019 and Gran Teatro La Fenice in 1996 serve as reminders of the Cultural Heritage's (CH) vulnerable state. Fortunately, acoustic measurements and digital reconstructions can recover and, to some degree, retain the acoustics of the world's most significant CH sites. In addition, these approaches allow archaeologists, historians, architects, musicologists, and the general public to experience the vanished acoustics of ruined or destroyed monuments [1].
The objective of architectural acoustics is to achieve the best sound quality possible in a space, whether it’s a theatre, church, concert hall, or recording studio. Archaeoacoustics is the study of archaeological sites through their sound and acoustic characteristics. On the other hand, 3d modelling in cultural heritage allows us to create virtual representations of historical artefacts and spaces that are difficult or impossible to access [2,3,4].
Therefore, acoustic perception is as crucial as, if not more significant than, visual perception in particular places, such as concert halls and religious buildings. Until now, architectural heritage conservation and restoration have been restricted to its material structure. Preserving architectural heritage should include preserving the acoustical heritage, especially for spaces of acoustical importance [5,6].
While sound plays an important part in the perception and experience of architecture, this paper emphasises the relevance of including both visual and acoustical features in virtual reconstructions of historical buildings and sites. The mix of visual and acoustical characteristics may improve the authenticity and accuracy of virtual reconstructions while also making them more engaging and educational for visitors.

Indicative references
1. Katz, Brian FG, Damian Murphy, and Angelo Farina. "Exploring cultural heritage through acoustic digital reconstructions." Physics today 73.12 (2020): 32-37.
2. Valenzuela, J.; Díaz-Andreu, M.; Escera, C. Psychology Meets Archaeology: Psycho Archaeoacoustics for Understanding Ancient Minds and Their Relationship to the Sacred. Front. Psychol. 2020, 11, 550794.
3. Debertolis, P.; Bisconti, N. Archaeoacoustics in Ancient Sites. A New Way to Analysing Archaeological Locations. In Proceedings of the 1st International Virtual Conference on Advanced Scientific Results SCIECONF 2013, Žilina, Slovakia, 10–11 June 2013; pp. 10–14.
4. Aletta, F.; Kang, J. Historical Acoustics: Relationships between People and Sound over Time. Acoustics 2020, 2, 128–130.
5. Karabiber, Zerhan. "The conservation of acoustical heritage." Proceedings of the First International Workshop on 3D Virtual Heritage, Geneva, Switzerland. 2002.
6. Chatzopoulou, N. et.al. Site-specificity and Sonic Grains : An approach to sound synthesis by mapping point clouds of a specific site using granular synthesis techniques.2023