Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Conservation

The Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Conservation is a not-for-profit organization founded by Adam Lowe in 2009 and located in Madrid, Spain. It develops new techniques in digital recording and processing to document artworks and cultural heritage of many different types. It is known for its facsimiles (high-resolution physical copies) of sites and objects such as the Tomb of Seti I, two monumental lamassu sculptures from Nimrud, and the Borgherini Chapel. The Foundation also mounts exhibitions and trains local communities across the world in the use of digital recording technologies, and is active in contemporary debates about the functions and value of facsimiles. 
Factum Foundation works closely with Factum Arte, and was established in order to take over Factum Arte's non-profit work relating to cultural heritage. 
== Cultural heritage projects ==
Notable facsimiles made by Factum Foundation include:
* The tomb of Tutankhamun
* Rooms from the Tomb of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings. Scanning of all extant fragments from the tomb is underway, and Factum states that the finished facsimile of the tomb will be ‘by some measures... even more complete than the original as it now stands’, as it will incorporate fragments removed from the tomb in the 19th century. 
* Two monumental lamassu and all extant wall and floor reliefs from the throne room of the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud
* The Polittico Griffoni, a 15th-century Bolognese altarpiece which was dismantled in the 18th century, and whose 16 separate painted panels are now in museums across the world 
* Raphael’s Sacrifice at Lystra, one of the Raphael Cartoons now in the V&A Museum
* The Tomb of Raphael from the Pantheon 
* Several artworks from Horace Walpole’s collections for Strawberry Hill House
* Two sketchbooks by Antonio Canova
* The Offiziolo di Carlo VIII 
* The Borgherini Chapel
Other projects have sought to ‘digitally restore’ artworks to a former state, to recreate lost artworks, or to show artworks in a changed form. Projects include: 
* Digital restoration of a monumental plaster horse by Canova, whose original is now in fragments
* Digital restoration and restored facsimile of the vandalised sacred cave of Kamukuwaká 
* Recreation of Raphael's painting Lo Spasimo as a painting on board. The painting had been transferred from wooden boards to canvas by restorers in the early 19th century, so the recreation attempts to recover an earlier stage in the history of the work. 
* The re-creation of al-Idrisi's lost silver world map
== Technologies ==
=== Technologies for recording ===
The Factum Foundation develops many of its own recording and processing technologies, which include the Lucida 3D Scanner (designed by Manuel Franquelo with the support of Factum Foundation and Factum Arte), the Veronica Scanner, and several book and manuscript scanners. The Foundation also uses established and in-development recording techniques such as photogrammetry, panoramic composite photography, LiDAR and structured light scanning.
=== Technologies for making facsimiles ===
To make its facsimiles Factum Foundation employs a range of traditional and new technologies, often in combination. Technologies include CNC-milling, several types of 3D printing, molding and plaster casting, bronze casting, inkjet printing using an in-house printer, sculptural finishing, gilding, scagliola, print-making, and the use of traditional restoration/conservation techniques. 
==In the media==
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== References ==
== External links ==
* Factum Foundation facebook page
* A Digital Mediation Studio - Factum Arte
* Digital conservation | Art Jameel
* Conservation: Factum Arte remaking history | Financial Times
* Factum Foundation linkedin page
* Adam Lowe - Columbia GSAPP
* Factum Foundation (@FactumFoundation) - Sketchfab
Category:Organizations established in 2009
Category:Organisations based in Madrid
Category:Non-profit organisations based in Spain
Category:Digital audio
Category:Digital signal processing
Category:Sound recording technology