Design of an Interactive Experience with Medieval Illuminations: A Journey into the Beauty and Meaning of Medieval Portuguese Manuscripts

This article presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an interactive installation to explore color in medieval illuminations and their context. The main goal of the installation is to promote wide dissemination of Portuguese medieval illuminations as well as to achieve engagement of the public in the conservation of this treasured heritage. The interactive installation is based on the experience and results obtained in a series of hands-on workshops, where “real” colored paints were produced using techniques and pigments similar to the originals. The design and development process of the interactive installation was carried out by a multidisciplinary team in computer engineering, design, illustration, art history, history, chemistry, and conservation science. The installation, after several iterations on the content and technology, explores innovative computational interfaces and how they can be developed and used in cultural heritage. It has three components that work independently or as a full installation: (1) Virtual Scriptorium, (2) Interactive Panel, and (3) Augmented Book. The design rational, implementation, and evaluation of the modular installation are described, as well as how this work contributes to the wide dissemination of information on these extraordinary medieval manuscripts.

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