Craft and Repair Heritage: From Capture to Dissemination in Digital Space

Abstract. The preservation of construction and repair knowledge necessitates a shift from static documentation toward the dynamic capture of the embodied and collaborative nature of craft. This paper proposes a framework that leverages motion capture technologies to record and archive whole-body movements associated with traditional and contemporary construction practices. Drawing on historical motion studies and aligning with international heritage charters, the approach addresses the limitations of conventional documentation methods, which often overlook tacit knowledge, human-machine and tool interaction, and the situated processes of making. By integrating motion data into digital preservation workflows, the proposed method facilitates the transmission of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), supports repairability, and enhances the resilience of architectural documentation. The research underscores the ethical, legal, and cultural considerations necessary for documenting sensitive practices and advocates for metadata-enriched, context-aware digital archives. Ultimately, this work contributes to a broader redefinition of architectural preservation that values embodied knowledge and promotes access to craft expertise across temporal, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries.