Technology in Art and Culture

Which colourants and binders were used in a work of art? Which artistic techniques were employed? What alterations due to aging do these materials exhibit, and what processes or influences caused them? What stories does a work of art convey? These are just a few of the questions explored in the research field of Technology in Art and Culture. 

This field of research is dedicated to the study of materials used in works of art and cultural heritage, as well as the techniques employed in their creation. It encompasses material analysis, source research, cultural-historical categorization, experimental reconstruction of manufacturing processes and the development of new technologies and research methods. The primary objective is to gain a deeper understanding of the works, particularly in relation to their technological structure, degradation and provenance. 
 

• Analytical determination of organic and inorganic components of materials 
• Material testing to determine the physical properties of materials 
• Imaging techniques for the documentation of art and cultural heritage 
• Investigations into the technological structure of art and cultural heritage as well as manufacturing processes and artistic techniques 
• Multidisciplinary research in the fields of art and cultural history, art-technological source research and material semantics 

Gino Severini

In the Romand part of Switzerland from the 1920s to the 1940s, over one hundred churches were built and decorated with great care in a new and modern style aimed at clearly communicating religious content.

Spurenbestandteile in Ägyptisch Blau als kunsttechnologischer Informationsträger

This research work is based on the recording of mineral trace components and thus individual “biographical” details in Roman-antique Egyptian blue from Switzerland using Raman microscopy.

APRICOT: Automation process for an individualized crown on tooth