An immersive work that gave form to the oxymoron of a “perceptual reading” of the Divine Comedy, bringing together the harmonic and spiritual measure of the Pazzi Chapel with Gustave Doré’s animated engravings and an original score for organ and choirs. A score conceived as a sonic itinerary of consciousness, in which the vocal dimension gradually transforms from the Gregorian gravity of Inferno to the mystical rarefaction of Paradiso. An intimate, contemplative and deeply human experience, without voice-over narration, developed through careful philological and iconographic research with the contribution of a dedicated scientific committee. Acquired by the Harvard University Digital Collection for long-term preservation and sharing, the work was later integrated into the clinical research programme of IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza in San Giovanni Rotondo, where the VRHD version — Virtual Reality Hypnosis Distraction — is being studied as non-pharmacological support in care pathways.
The work represents one of the most significant projects in the field of Digital Humanities applied to cultural heritage.
The exhibition, held from 13 September 2021 to 27 February 2022 in the Pazzi Chapel at the Opera di Santa Croce in Florence, welcomed over 130,000 visitors and concluded in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.
