Digitalisation has accustomed us to coexisting with an immaterial virtual reality and to the possibility of experiencing utterly convincing virtual spaces thanks to simulated images displayed via wearable devices or projected onto real surfaces. These are rudimentary solutions compared to the ‘intelligent perspective machine’ with which Bramante experimented with the central plan within the church of San Satiro in Milan. The explanation for the effectiveness of the analogue device goes beyond the simple inverse reconstruction of the privileged viewpoint, which does not account for the dynamic persistence of the illusion.
This paper presents the virtual reconstruction of the surveyed space as a tool for analysing and interpreting the projective mechanisms that generate a perceptually immersive environment. Based on real data, it enables us to decipher the spatial strategies that, with extraordinary effectiveness, foreshadow the experiences offered today by digital technologies. At the same time, it serves as a tool for understanding, documenting and preserving the intangible heritage of the project, reviving the relevance of a culture of space which, through the skilful manipulation of perception, foreshadows the principles of today’s immersive reality.
