Venice-B08 IQP - Preserve

Figure 1: A Venetian Angel was slowly deteriorating over time. Then in 2007, a restoration attempt was made and the Angel was destroyed further

On December 1st, 2008 156cm of water flooded Venice, threatening to repeat the devastation of the flood of 1966. Our project published, in an engaging web format, comprehensive information, such as condition, about the vast collection of art endangered by natural and man-made threats. We followed best practices for web-design and features from other conservation- and community-oriented websites. The resulting PreserVenice.org website will help preserve the 4,376 pieces of art that delineate Venice and are integral to Venice's cultural infrastructure.

The PreserVenice Team

The Preserve team consists of four Third-year Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) undergraduates:

Figure 2: Tim Navien, Meagan Foley, Alex Larsen, and Phoebe Riley

Meagan Foley

Major: Mechanical Engineering

E-mail: foley9@wpi.edu

Alex Larsen

Major: Mechanical Engineering

E-mail: alarsen@wpi.edu

Tim Navien

Major: Computer Science

E-mail: navien21@wpi.edu

Phoebe Riley

Major: Biology and Biotechnology

E-mail: priley@wpi.edu

The Project

Mission Statement

Our project contributes to the preservation of Venetian heritage by increasing awareness of often neglected public art through online information resources.

Project Summary

Figure 3:Doge's Palace in St. Mark's Square Currently (left) and Flooded on November 4, 1966 (right)

Venice’s public art decorates every campo and street corner, immortalizing patrician families and the religious and social implications of their time. The public art is more than mere decoration; it tells the story of the historical center. An incalculable amount of art was damaged by the flood of 1966 (Figure 3) thus drawing attention to the need for preserving the public art. In response UNESCO added Venice, as the first city in its entirety, to its list of endangered World Heritage sites. The Private Committees were established shortly after to raise funding for restoration projects. Recently on December 1, 2008, 156cm of water flooded Venice reemphasizing the need for preservation.

Venice’s public art is further endangered because human damage, such as vandalism, continually destroys these treasures. As time passes several factors cause the art to deteriorate, many times beyond recognition and repair. Because the art of Venice surrounds its inhabitants, Venetians tend to overlook the worsening condition of the art that defines their culture. Thus the public needs to be enlightened of the plight of public art, so that more will be done to conserve these irreplaceable pieces. Furthermore, an organization needs to manage and coordinate the various restoration projects to maximize efficiency and effectiveness of preservation efforts.

An American university, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), has been sending students to work at its Venice Project Center Venice Project Center to help preserve he city. The Venice Project Center has been working diligently for the past 20 years to ensure Venice’s heritage is not lost. The students have collected data on 4,376 pieces of public art separated into 15 categories: statues, coats of arms, confraternity symbols, patere, reliefs, inscriptions, crosses, monuments, fragments, portali, lunette, flagstaff pedestals, wellheads, fountains, and mascaroni. The art is so dense in Venice that when all 4,376 pieces of public art are mapped, they form an outline of the city (shown below in Figure 4).

Figure 4: 4,376 Pieces of Public Art Defining Venice

Unfortunately, the information collected has not been made available to the public, and therefore it is not being used. In 2007, PreserVenice was founded by WPI students to increase awareness of the need for restoration.

Our project published the collected data on PreserVenice.org. In order to create the optimum site, we researched best practices of website design. We reviewed 18 internationally recognized websites, evaluating their homepages and donation pages using accepted criteria for usability and web-based fundraising, respectively. To be thorough, we evaluated three types of websites: preservation organizations, wildlife sites, and university alumni sites.

We implemented the best practices we identified, on PreserVenice's website. To enhance the homepage, we developed an endangered pieces feature, which highlights a different piece of public art in dire need of restoration each week. On the right side of the page we listed all the catalogues of public art along with a color-coded restoration priority indicator. For each of the 15 categories of public art, we have created a detailed information page to display the wealth of information collected by WPI students. The information displayed includes a picture of the item, a magnified map image displaying its location, a restoration priority indicator, and generic information about the item. There are also thee tabs containing information about physical characteristics, current and past conditions, and restoration projects. Linked off this page are the Get Involved page and the Submit Report page. These pages allow the public to donate or submit a condition report about a piece of art. The reports will help keep the site current and accurate.

PreserVenice offers valuable information on over 4,000 pieces of public art in Venice. Our site can contribute to the efforts of preserving Venetian heritage by aiding the Venetian government in developing a management plan for UNESCO’s World Heritage List by 2012. Also, we hope UNESCO and the Private Committees will utilize the intimate details we have on every piece to identify restoration priorities.

Recommendations

The Venice Project Center's ultimate goal for PreserVenice is to turn it into a Private Committee. For this to become a reality and for our organization to function properly, donations need to be monitored, and the standard operating procedures must be followed. To fulfill both of these requirements a full-time staff is needed to monitor the website. To be a valuable partner in the effort to preserve Venetian heritage, PreserVenice must commit the same resources as other organizations dedicated to this goal.