27/05/2009
Vitoria-Gasteiz, May 27, 2009 -
As of today, the portico of Santa Maria Cathedral has a new attraction.
The Paternina Chapel, located in the front of the atrium and named
after the abbot who ordered it to be built, has recovered its colour
thanks to a sophisticated digital video projection system that displays
the evolution of its polychromes between the sixteenth and twentieth
centuries. A consummate light and colour show, the only one of its kind
in Europe, that extends the range of visits to the church in Vitoria.
Today is the public presentation of “Pórtico de la Luz”, a trip to the
past in search of a colour that time has stolen from Santa Maria and
that is technically possible through a digital projection of the
historical polychromes that are no longer exist today. Decisive in the
process have also been the studies conducted during the portico’s
restoration. The sum of these two factors has given rise to a light and
sound show that has revolutionised the concept of chromatic
reintegration held until now and allows visitors to view the historical
evolution of the different pictorial and chromatic styles discovered in
the Paternina Chapel.
The simultaneous use of several projectors that employ geometric
projection techniques allow an ambiance to be created in which
spectators can perceive the evolution of decorative concepts in a very
lifelike manner. A voiceover explains the details at the same time.
More than 3,000
tests conducted
The portico of Santa Maria Cathedral had colour until the 1960s. The
restoration carried out during that time, in which that the portico was
systematically scraped to remove any remains of colour, regrettably
erased all traces of the polychromes.
A team of professional art restorers studied the portico for 18 months
in 2003 and 2004 and conducted over 3,000 tests, accompanied by a
complete documentation process that resulted in a correspondence chart
that can identify pigments from any historical period. Thanks to this,
15 general interventions conducted throughout the almost five hundred
years of the portico’s existence were identified, and it became clear
that the colour applied to the stone elements was considered an
essential part of the portico for several centuries and that it was
incomplete without it. As an additional complement, graphic
reconstructions have been made that show what the portico looked like
in its different periods.
Digital video
projection techniques
Except for the sculpture of the Madonna in the central tympanum, the
Paternina Chapel is the site in the portico that had the richest trove
of polychromes. Now, visitors will be able to perceive the colours as
if they were looking at a polychromed portico, i.e., as if the colour
were pigment instead of projected light. This optical illusion is
possible thanks to four video projectors enclosed in cupboards made of
bronze, a material compatible with the space in which it is located on
the chapel’s walls.
The use of digital video projection techniques in the world of art
restoration is a form of chromatic reintegration allows the appearance
a monument would have had at a specific time to be visualised on the
monument itself. The list of possibilities this offers is endless. On
this occasion, the portico and colour, a tandem that has always gone
hand in hand in Santa Maria and which today seems novel, is the common
denominator.
Musical composition
The polychromes’ projection is also accompanied by a musical
composition by José Luis Dorronsoro and José Antonio San Miguel,
members of the Boreas Cámera group, who explain that "Fundación
Catedral Santa María offered us the chance to couple the ancient with
the contemporary, traditional fresco painting methods with
cutting-edge optics and lighting technology, the Cathedral bells and
organ with electro-acoustic music".
Thus, the sounds with which they worked were "the sounds of the
Cathedral itself. We wished to breathe life into the old resonances
that have inhabited its walls for centuries, combining both the
ecclesiastical life, the organ and the choir, as well as secular life
in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the bells ".
Free visits until
June 5
The general public in Vitoria will be able to enjoy this show free of
charge between May 28 to June 5. During this period, there will be two
showings, one at 7:00 p.m. and another at 7:30 p.m., for groups of 60.
As of that date, a special visit to the porticos and polychromes will
be available every day of the week late in the afternoon for 3 euros.
Further information about visits and reservations: 945 255 135.