Rock Art cave and replica: what kind of Heritage experience?

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When making cultural heritage sites available for tourism, the use of partial or complete replicas can enable the public to see a heritage object/site that must remain closed to ensure its preservation, or due to its difficult access. Since the 1990s, the development of digital technologies and 3D models has contributed to reconciling the conflicting challenges of heritage conservation and cultural heritage tourism (Pieraccini, Guidi, and Atzeni 2001). In the specific case of rock art sites, there is now a broad spectrum of virtual, augmented and tangible presentation methods available to stand in place of the original site and with many possible digital and material presentation combinations for any given site (Pinçon and Geneste 2010; Kaminski 2014; Jaillet et al. 2017).What happens when the challenges of conservation coupled with the challenges of presenting it to the public, are addressed through the creation of a replica that is presented as entirely faithful and which becomes the place where the visitor can experience “heritage”? For these decorated caves, the combined challenges of conservation and regional development has led to the fabrication of replicas that bridge the domains of archaeology and tourism (Duval, Gauchon, and Smith 2017). They allow visitors to experience the simulated materiality of rock art sites that are closed to the public (Malgat, Duval, and Gauchon 2015).Drawing from ten years of research, we explore the links between the Chauvet-Pont d’Arc Cave and its replica, “Chauvet 2 – Ardèche”, both located in France. After discussing the role of authenticity and experience in the heritage process, an analysis of the characteristics of the replica highlights the emphasis placed on the emotional realm. We then discuss the possibilities for transferring the heritage values of the original cave to the replica based on how the replica is received by the visitors.References Duval, M., C. Gauchon, and B. Smith. 2017. “Rock art Tourism.” In The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Rock Art, edited by B. David and I.J. McNiven, 1021-1041. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jaillet, S., J.-J. Delannoy, J. Monney, and B. Sadier. 2017. “3-D Modelling in Rock Art Research: Terrestrial Laser Scanning, Photogrammetry, and the Time Factor.” In The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Rock Art, edited by B. David and I.J. McNiven, s.p. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kaminski, J. 2014. "Decorated Palaeolithic cave sites as a tourism resource : the Franco cantabrian perspective." In Contemporary Issues in Cultural Heritage Tourism, edited by J. Kaminski, A. M. Benson, D. Arnold, 165-176. London, New York: Routledge.Malgat, C., M. Duval, and C. Gauchon. 2015. “Fac-similés et transfert de patrimonialité. La grotte ornée Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc.” Culture & Musées 25 : 141-163.Pieraccini, M., G. Guidi, and C. Atzeni. 2001. “3D digitizing of cultural heritage.” Journal of Cultural Heritage 2: 63-70.Pinçon, G., and J.-M., Geneste. 2010. “Art rupestre: la 3D un outil de médiation du réel invisible ? ” In Situ, 13 : s.p.