Tangible and intangible are long-established properties of things and a traditional classification of Heritage. Their meaning is, in principle, straightforward: they declare whether something can be perceived through the sense of touch or not. More precisely, they refer to whether an object can be physically grasped and potentially manipulated. For example, we can perceive the pressure of wind or the heat of the sun’s rays, yet both remain intangible entities.
In the Heritage domain, tangible and intangible entities can have strong, intricated and even surprising relations. But sometimes it can also happen that a Tangible Heritage (TH) is linked to another TH, as well as an Intangible Heritage (IH) to another IH. Here are a couple of meaningful examples. The 15th-16th century wooden model of the Duomo (Cathedral) of Pavia, made by Cristoforo Rocchi from the project of Giovanni Antonio Amadeo and Gian Giacomo Dolcebuono, is clearly related to the real building of the Duomo. Likewise, IH entities can be interlinked – e.g. the music of a song and its lyrics are independent but related entities. But other, less expected connections exist. A natural phenomenon such as the Aurora Borealis (often referred to as northern lights) have traditionally inspired tales, legends and insights into its causes, especially among the human groups living close or within the Arctic Circle (Aurora Australis also happens, but the area is less densely populated).
When dealing with Heritage, both tangible and intangible, all these relations must be correctly assessed and managed. Failure to do so can result in the loss of invaluable context and richness that defines our collective Heritage.