Heightened Past

Heightened Past ("Passat augmentat") is a communication tool based on the recovery of architectural heritage. It draws on the benefits of heightened reality for the conservation of historical memory, so as to bring it closer to the public in a more interactive way. Even though it could be applicable to a variety of cases, it has been developed specifically in relation to Catalan modernisme (art nouveau) due to this style’s overall importance in the context of Barcelona.

The project proposes an alternative route allowing visitors to view the building in question in-situ and contrast it with the modernista structure that existed previously. In this way, besides preserving the historical memory of the city, the user is invited to take a position and to reflect upon the heritage conservation measures implemented.

The project seeks to develop itself into a platform with the role of bringing information to the contemporary user, as well as conserving and promoting historical memory of a time and lifestyle of great importance for Barcelona society. If it were not for similar initiatives the time would now likely be forgotten. The entire project is to be integrated into the "Barcelona Modernista" map. This map offers a route to visit the most relevant modernista buildings currently found in Barcelona. Due to the importance of this style in Barcelona, and the quality of tourism associated with it, we can find numerous maps, routes and guidebooks related to the subject, although none of them has the intention of showing visitors what has been demolished and no longer exists.

"Heightened Past" uses the original urban map of the Cerdà plan for the Eixample, taken here as “Barcelona Modernista”, and sets the relevant points to be visited over top of it. The play created between past and present strengthens the project, given its way of drawing from the past in a present-day application.