The mapping of Sant Climent de Taüll

A new light for museography, a catalyst for the Vall de Boí

Josep Font Sentias

Publication date: 20/05/2020

The article describes the background, the creation process and the impact of the mapping of Sant Climent de Taüll, which presents the mural painting preserved in situ, reproduces the paintings preserved in the MNAC, and restores the original 12th century painting.

The Romanesque of Vall de Boí, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2000, the church of Sant Climent particularly, and the mural painting of the apse specifically are some of the icons of European medieval art, and a letter of introduction of Catalonia to the world.

The symbolic dimension of the monument (because of the role that Romanesque art played in the construction of the collective imaginary in the early 20th century) added some risk to the decision to replace a plaster copy of the mural painting for a virtual museography, using a mapping. The impact that it had on the public and the international awards that it obtained invite us to highlight the innovation ecosystem and the creativity on Augmented Reality in Catalonia. It also makes us value the mapping as a museographic strategy, and raise some questions in relation to the consortium that manages the Romanesque at Vall de Boí.