The Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, the company behind the Florence Cathedral monuments since 1296 (yes: 720 years in a row…) developed an anti – vandalism App which make you to become part of its digital archive!
Autography: from vandalism to digital art in florence
We have been protecting masterpieces for centuries: starting from today we are going to remove graffiti from the Campanile’s walls. But if you – virtually – leave us a message we will preserve it: just like a masterpiece.
This is the welcome message on Autography, the brand new Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore‘s site which supports the App of the same name.
Since few weeks ago the App became available on the digital tablets stations within the Campanile di Giotto – Giotto’s Bell Tower.
The mission of Autography is to tackle vandalism against the monuments, while giving people an opportunity to “leave a message” as well: a digital one: the messages will be stored on the Autography website, archived, for eternity, along the huge heritage which the Digital Archive of the Opera enshrines.
The cost of maintenance to face vandalism against the monuments is huge: the clean-up of Campanile di Giotto needed three months of work and a team of nine restoration experts.
Your message in Florence?
Autography immediately aroused interest all over the world, being quoted in the USA (The New York Times) and Japan (The Japan Times).
Right now people visiting the Bell Tower is leaving their digital graffiti via Autography.
So, if you are planning a trip to Florence, remember that now you can leave a keepsake of your passage without defacing the monuments: rather, with the possibility to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Pinterest.
With this graffiti “digital relocation” you can create digital graffiti choosing between different tools (pen, marker, paintbrush, spray and pencil), colours and virtual surfaces: another reason – a virtual one this time – to come and visit Florence!
Leave a Reply