Reproduction, relocations and displacements of cultural heritage

Abstract

Recent developments in the technologies of reproducibility have made it possible to experience visits to heritage sites and artifacts at a distance. These reproductions imply a rearrangement of the space of reception of heritage. This phenomenon can be called relocation. We shall argue that it is a common element to the processes of “patrimonialization” and “mechanical reproducibility”. Making-heritage implies a rearrangement of the space around an artifact, this rearrangement also takes place during its mechanical reproduction. In this paper we will discuss some forms of relocations of heritage and see how these phenomena have always been at the heart of practices of valorization of traces of the past. The analysis of a case of virtual reconstitution of an archaeological site will help reveal some of the current trends in this field.