Donner à voir un patrimoine invisible : de l'original à la copie. Le cas de l'Espace de restitution de la grotte Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc

A fac-similé of the decorated cave of Pont d'Arc, or Grotte Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, successfully bridges the gap between conservation and accessibility by rendering an 'invisible heritage' visible. This replica, opened in 2014, leverages innovative technologies to provide visitors with a sensory and cognitive experience akin to exploring the original cave while imparting knowledge about Aurignacian culture. The study examines whether such fac-similés can effectively substitute for the original site, addressing geographical, sensory, and cognitive accessibility challenges. By analyzing the Grotte Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc case, researchers highlight the potential of replicas as tools for heritage transmission, questioning the nature of patrimoniality transfer from original to copy.

Malgat, C., Duval-Massaloux, M., & Gauchon, C. (2012). Donner à voir un patrimoine invisible : de l’original à la copie. Le cas de l’Espace de restitution de la grotte Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc. Collection EDYTEM. Cahiers de Géographie, 13(1), 99–114. https://doi.org/10.3406/edyte.2012.1208