Welcome to “Reverse Engineering and Digital Imaging: Early Modern Venetian Lacquer From Cultural Heritage to Material Culture,” a pioneering platform within the EUTOPIA network dedicated to bridging the historic with the futuristic. Our community seeks to decipher the enigmatic narratives of our collective past through innovative research and experiential learning in material culture. By employing state-of-the-art technologies like high-resolution 3D imaging, we aim to revitalise the conservation of cultural artefacts while fostering an inclusive educational atmosphere. Our initiatives span collaborative workshops, thematic project weeks, and research-based learning modules, drawing insights from a rich fusion of art history, conservation science, and modern tech. Join us as we redefine the boundaries between academia and society, paving sustainable pathways for preserving our global heritage. Whether you’re an aspiring student, seasoned expert, or curious policy-maker, our Connected Community eagerly awaits your involvement!
Connected Communtiy Upcoming Activities
On-Campus Week: Re-Making Early Modern Lacquer – Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, 28 September – 2 October 2026
In 2026, our Connected Community activities will focus on lacquering, a variety of procedures for varnishing wood and leather artifacts with resins. The study of lacquered artifacts reveals intense and enduring processes of transfer and appropriation across Eurasia (Japan, China, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice). By appropriation, we mean both the successful circulation and “domestication” of complex techniques before twentieth-century globalisation, and the present rediscovery of these processes as a form of material culture that can be experienced, handed on through new media and questioned in its geopolitical implications and with respect to environmental and economic sustainability issues.
The EUTOPIA Re-making Early Modern Lacquer On-Campus Week and the preparatory online seminar (25-26 May 2026) will be the core activities of our Connected Community. During the On-Campus Week in Venice (28 September – 2 October 2026), the participants will learn to lacquer alla veneziana and familiarise themselves hands-on with this technique (re-making). They will also participate in activities such as 3D scanning and advanced measurement of selected seventeenth-century lacquered pieces kept in Venice, and visit the lacquer sections of the Museo di Arte Orientale and Museo del Settecento Veneziano of Venice together with specialists with different backgrounds (stakeholders from museums, conservation professionals, chemists, historians of art and design, media archaeologists and specialists in advanced measurement systems and 3D visualisation).
The initiative will be open to BA, MA, and PhD students in relevant fields, who will participate in:
- A preparatory online seminar, 25-26 May 2026 (introduction to the technique of lacquering, the historiography on this topic and the methodologies of our Connected Community);
- The Re-making Early Modern Lacquer On-Campus Week, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, 28 September – 2 October 2026 (on-site only);
- Follow-up media activities to disseminate the results of the On-Campus Week, October – November 2026.
Detailed programme and further information coming soon!
How to Get Involved
Contacts
- Lead: Prof. Walter Cupperi (walter.cupperi@unive.it)
- Local Facilitator: Laura Cappellesso (eutopia@unive.it)