Abstract:

Research Methods and Digital Innovation for the Documentation and Preservation of Misericords.

The preservation of historical artifacts increasingly depends on digital innovation to address material fragility and broaden educational access. Misericords, carved wooden supports beneath medieval choir stall seats, exemplify artifacts that are symbolically rich yet physically vulnerable and often inaccessible. This paper examines how aligning research methods with digital innovation can safeguard such objects while also expanding their scholarly and pedagogical value.

The study adopts a multi-method framework that integrates imaging, computational analysis, immersive engagement, and digital stewardship. High-resolution 3D scanning and photogrammetry produce precise digital surrogates, while multispectral and hyperspectral imaging reveal pigments and tool marks invisible to the human eye. These datasets are analyzed using artificial intelligence techniques, including pattern recognition and generative modeling, to reconstruct damaged or missing motifs in a transparent and reversible manner.

To enhance access and learning, the research explores extended reality (XR) platforms and haptic feedback technologies, enabling users to experience misericords in context-rich, interactive environments. On the stewardship side, blockchain provenance systems and distributed storage infrastructures provide mechanisms for ensuring authenticity, integrity, and long-term sustainability.

Case studies highlight the outcomes of this alignment: spectral imaging combined with AI revealed previously undocumented iconographic details, XR supported interdisciplinary teaching, and blockchain enhanced confidence in digital surrogates as scholarly resources.

The paper concludes by proposing a holistic model of digital preservation that unites research methods with technological innovation, demonstrating how cultural heritage can be simultaneously protected and reimagined as a dynamic site of research, education, and public engagement.

Keywords:

Technology, innovation, digital innovation, photogrammetry, research methods.