To be part of... architecture, decoration or iconography. documenting azulejo as integrated heritage

Abstract

Az Infinitum— Azulejo Referencing and Indexation System may be briefly defined as a work tool combining Art History's traditionalmethods with the use of digital technologies, in order to create a system designed to document, catalogue and index all the tiledecorations produced and applied in Portugal since the late 15th century and still found in their original locations. By highlighting thepotentialities of Az Infinitum and by describing its data structure and the procedures used to collect and upload information, thepresent article proposes a reassessment of the project in light of these parameters, as well as a discussion of future developments.Moreover, it aims to clarify the link between the norms followed within the system and the ones used internationally. This linkreflects the aim of integrating the system within previously developed structures, without losing sight of the specificities of a hybridform of heritage, whose documentation must be adapted in different ways. Such a need has led to the development of specific datastructures, designed to meet the unique characteristics of patterned tile decorations.