The Plutei of Trajan in “Monte di Pietà” by Christoph Büchel
© Image of “Monte di Pietà”. A project by Christoph Büchel. Fondazione Prada, Venezia. Photo: Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy: Fondazione Prada
The Fondazione Prada, at its Venice headquarters, located in the historic palazzo Ca’ Corner della Regina, is hosting the “Monte di Pietà” project, conceived by Swiss artist Christoph Büchel, which will be on view from April through November 2024.
For this project, the Fondazione Prada commissioned Visivalab to produce two scale replicas of Trajan’s Pluto through 3D printing, courtesy of the Ministry of Culture and the Parco del Colosso. The replicas were made from the study and laser scanning we carried out in 2018, after the restoration of the original pieces in the Roman Forum.
CLIENT Fondazione Prada
YEAR 2024
FEATURES
- 3D Model Reconstruction
- Photogrammetric survey
- Laser scan
- Digital modelling
- Heritage digitization
- Postproduction
- 3D Printing
© Image of “Monte di Pietà”. A project by Christoph Büchel. Fondazione Prada, Venezia. Photo: Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy: Fondazione Prada
Project
In Monte di Pietà exhibition at Ca’ Corner della Regina, the two replicas of the plutei coexist with thousands of objects, documents and historical and contemporary artworks that transform the Venetian headquarters of Fondazione Prada into a fictional pawnshop, returning the 18th-century palazzo to its former role between 1834 and 1969. In this crowded and confusing space, Büchel provokes the viewer to reflect on materialism and consumerism from the perspective of debt and its transformative role in society, from a meticulously curated environment.
During this curation process, Fondazione Prada requested the production of the replicas of the plutei through 3D printing, which represent two relevant scenes of public life during the reign of the emperor Trajan.
The first relief depicts the Institutio Alimenta, a law established by Trajan to help underprivileged children through loans in the form of mortgages to landowners whose interest was used to support poor children. The second, on the other hand, represents the burning of unpaid tax records after the Dacian wars, symbolizing the emperor’s fiscal pardon. The reverse of both plutei depicts a ritual procession of a pig, bull and ram towards a purification ritual, the Suovetaurilia.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
SOFTWARE
- CloudCompare
- MeshLab
- Blender
HARDWARE
- Laser scanner
© Image of “Monte di Pietà”. A project by Christoph Büchel. Photo: Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy: Fondazione Prada
Beyond reflecting Trajan’s economic and social policies, both scenes resonate deeply with the narrative of debt and taxation that the Swiss artist and curator masterfully incorporates into his project.
Innovatively linking the cultural heritage of antiquity with current artistic challenges reflects Visivalab’s commitment to the application of advanced technology to bring historical legacy to a global audience. This approach once again demonstrates our versatility in the most contemporary cultural and artistic sphere.
STAMPA
Monte di Pietà. A project by Christoph Büchel
Fondazione Prada