La “teoria del restauro” come campo di ricerca

The ‘theory of conservation’ as a field of research: I believe this issue can be developed on two different levels: the first asks the scientific community to reflect on the themes that characterise it at this time in history; the second involves discussing the problem of this field’s difficulty in finding a place for itself in the system that funds scientific research. Observations linked to the first aspect have strategic importance, in that they regard the cultural and professional identity of our community at a national and international level. The second, in contrast, regards the improvement of fundraising tactics by identifying issues that are compatible with the scope of European research, so that this field adjusts its topics of study to suit those promoted by Horizon 2020. This essay reflects on some of the issues that are considered essential if we want to improve our strategy: first and foremost, is it possible to carry out scientific research in the field of ‘the theory of restoration’? What does the adjective ‘scientific’ mean in this context? What is the relationship between analytical thinking and a summarising approach? What is the relationship between this theory and current ‘dominant concepts’ in the field? Moreover, can we identify an approach to previously existing buildings, to history and to the remains of the past that is specific to the field of restoration and that characterises the scientific community and from which we can start to rethink scientific research?