« Bretez II » et l’archéologie du paysage sonore : la restitution sensorielle

Abstract

Archaeology is using more and more 3D to offer heritage restitutions. But these are silent. In a time when computers offer the tools to complete a simple visual, it is necessary to take the existence of our other senses, and especially hearing, into account.The soundscape’s archaeology is a solution. It allows the enhancement of the heritage through senses (in our case, the sound), suggests scientifically valid hypotheses which facilitate their understanding. The combination of 3D model, sound reproduction and movement within the model reinforces the feeling of immersion and makes it possible to offer experimental models for researchers and immersive models for the general public. If the design of the 3D visual model no longer seems to pose too many problems, the same cannot be said for that of the sound atmospheres. The soundscape’s archaeology, an emerging discipline, is a vast field to be cleared, where practically everything remains to be done. We are therefore faced with a research object that enters the exploratory field. The restitution of historical soundscapes asks, from the beginning of the construction, many fundamental questions: where to find trace of these atmospheres? How to restore them and make this past sound heard?Based on the “Bretez II” project and its modules, and on the production of sound restitution for the “Visiteurs de Versailles. 1682-1789” exhibition that feeds this research, the article will expose the path that transforms the investigator, analysing and cross-checking his sources, into a “composer / alchemist / scenographer”, proposing a sound restitution respectful of History.

Keywords

• valorisation
• representation
• restitution
• heritage identification
• digital humanities
• Perception