An approach to semantic representation and modeling in the development of De rerum natura digital exhibition

The purpose of this paper is to present the implementation of De rerum natura Exhibition (DRN), a digital exhibition, with particular regards to Semantic Web technologies and design patterns which allow the seamless representation of heterogeneous contents and the creation of dynamic museal paths. In particular, this study presents the implementation solutions that have emerged during the development of a digital application concerning Vedere l’Invisibile, an exhibition which follows Lucretius’ De rerum natura and its reception in contemporary art. The peculiarity of the exhibition is the presence of heterogeneous data sources such as tangible or intangible cultural items (e.g. paintings, performances) and textual documents (e.g. De rerum natura and its translations). Starting from the aforementioned sources, the work explores modern technological solutions in order to deliver a system that can be both flexible in terms of requirements, reusable and ephemeral. Results show that by adopting a wrapper design pattern, a functional implementation of the system described above can be delivered without affecting original sources and successfully integrating different contents such as textual documents and cultural items through semantic technologies.