Redeeming the copy: a valuable tool for enhancement of cultural experience

The copy has historically been deemed as an unworthy reproduction of an original, the sole holder of undoubted value, thus rendering the reproduction a mere, less-than duplicate. However, this evaluation is supported by the notion that an artifact inherent value is in the authenticity of its material, which bore witness to a particular time, event or an idea, This narrow understanding of material heritage calls into question the extent to which material is fetishized hindering the chance to recognize the potential of the copy as worthy for something rather than just a thing.Among the first minds to realize the possible use value of copies, Viollet-le-Duc in the XIX century proposed an entire museum filled with these, formally opening to the recognition of the educational potential and as viable tools for the diffusion of culture. This paper aims to delve into the contrast between the copy and the original, thus proving how the preconceptions on the topic thwarted the usage of copies as an instrument to draw the public up to a higher degree of the cultural experience: rather than mere accessibility or child-friendly features, these could act as a democratizing tool whenever other supports may not be as immediate. With the support of the first informal experiments carried out in the research, the copy potential to startle the visitor is explored, its ability to fix the cultural episode in their minds, favoring an act of personal appropriation by the public through a co-creative process. The copy shall therefore be intended as an aid to a well-designed experience involving a narration and something able to spark co-creation; to encourage the appropriation that comes in the co-creation process through the projection of a personal input onto the object – whether physical or not; inviting the public to actualize what showed them through the posing of a question has demonstrated its potential to facilitate such co-creative action. The pondering that follows – especially in the case of stimulating, abstract questions – forces an introspective reflection that frees the cultural experience from the strings that tie it to the need of learning rather than understanding, simultaneously pinning the memory of the experience. If the visitor gets to hold on to the object, say through a souvenir – a copy –, then this will most likely trigger in the future a bodily response that recall that memory and take back the visitor to the moment of the experience, having therefore enhanced the perceived value by the individual and the value of the object/event itself as this it depends on the share of such recognition.