Marco Argentina University of Bologna, Italy
A first registry of Italian digital performing arts archives: a Hyperstage project challenge
To date, there is not a national virtual platform in Italy where it is possible to explore the complete registry of existing public and private digital theatre archives. In fact, the theatrical heritage of individual Italian institutions is only known, shared and exploited online through the websites of the institutions concerned, which in most cases are not easily accessible and navigable.
One of the aims of the PRIN 2022 Hyperstage project is to fill this IT gap by creating the virtual platform of the same name, which contains the complete list of digital performing arts archives that exist and can be used today, guaranteeing the possibility of exploring them through a single search mask and of finding the desired study materials.
Starting from the analysis of the partial list of performing arts archives offered by the Sistema Informativo Unificato per le Soprintendenze Archivistiche (Unified Information System for the Supervision Agencies, better known as SIUSA), to the study of other, more specific institutional websites, the research carried out by the three research fellows hired for the Hyperstage project, Marco Argentina, Marta Mele and Valeria Paraninfi, led to the realization of the registry.
This paper offers a brief excursus on the methodology adopted and the results obtained during the registry process, as well as a description of two digital archives of performing arts institutions based in Northern Italy.
Roberto Basili University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy
Performing arts: the promise of current language and vision AI technologies
Current achievements of AI technologies unveiled new possibilities to automatically model different semantic dimensions of digital artifacts, from pictures, videos, essays, to scores or literary texts. Generative AI models manage these levels through the adoption of integrated representations well suited for meaningful inferences, required in the semantic integration of independent sources, in image captioning or in the discovery of useful generalizations across multimodal data.
The nature and complexity of cultural heritage data is certainly challenging and represent a novel dimension for current deep learning technologies and generative AI models. These are currently faced with the challenge of learning over artistic dimensions of digital data. In the particular perspective of performing arts, the different involved data ask for a better integration between the visual and linguistic levels as the descriptive dimensions of visual data are also linked with the temporal dynamics of the involved events (e.g. gestures). This tight connection between visual and artistic information needs to be made explicit for training and the role of natural language as a descriptive media for the conceptual role(s) of the involved physical events (such as theatrical actions) is crucial. In the talk, multimodal AI techniques will be surveyed against general problems for their applications to performing arts.
Sarah Bay-Cheng York University, Canada
From Digital to Data: The Future of Digital Historiography and Performance
This presentation considers the development of digital historiography in theatre and the performing arts. With the emergence of the digital humanities and computational analyses, some have suggested that we are witnessing the “end of theory” (Anderson, 2008) and the dominance of data. Engaging theoretical approaches from intermediality, media ecology and the digital humanities, Dr. Bay-Cheng considers the role of media in theatre history from the digitalization of performances in the 20th century to contemporary debates and practices engaging data in performance preservation, analysis and dissemination. The presentation engages this history in light of further disruptions by algorithmic automation in cultural heritage and applications of generative artificial intelligence within theatrical creation, analysis and scholarly publication. Do these effects echo early modern media ecologies, as Peter W. Marx has argued (Marx 2024), or do they displace existing models, as Marc-André Coseette and Chris Salter argue (Cossette and Salter, 2024)? If, as they argue, “it is less the case that machines will become performing artists than that performing artists will become more like machines,” what is the future of performance historiography and how should we adapt the developing archives, ontologies and systems in response?
Cécile Chantraine Braillon La Rochelle Université, France
e-spect@tor : theater education through digital technology
In this paper, we present the e-spect@teur tool project (La Rochelle Université), and the theoretical and epistemological reflections stemming from performance studies that determined its conception. Developed on the basis of the Celluloid opensource web application tte (https://celluloid.huma-num.fr/), e-spect@teur enables computerized analysis of video archives of live or performative shows.
While it doesn’t allow us to relive the experience of the live performance, an ephemeral event by its very nature (Dubatti, 2012), the video document is particularly relevant insofar as, it does reveal what the show may have been like at the time it was performed, on a visual and historical level (Pavis, 2021). Now natively digital and produced in large quantities, the video archive of live performances can also be processed by computer to facilitate and improve analysis of the performative aspects of live shows.
The e-spect@teur tool (https://especellu.huma-num.fr/), a proof-of-concept tool, offers functionalities dedicated to the analysis of performative works, designed not only on the basis of the specificities of the video document (image, sound, succession of images) but also of the characteristics of Performative Arts (obsolescence, performativity, chronotopia), via the methodological, epistemological and ethical issues that the use of digital technology implies.
Emanuele Bellini LOGOS Research&Innovation, Florence – University of RomaTRE, Italy
Cyber Humanities and Heritage Security
In the current Information Society, digital resources in the cultural heritage ecosystem represent a strategic asset for both preserving a nation’s cultural memory and identity, and for enhancing the value and accessibility of their physical counterparts (in cases where these resources are digitized). However, this also makes the ecosystem an increasingly attractive target for criminal activities, exacerbated by the challenge of adapting legal frameworks to rapidly evolving scenarios. The appeal stems from the low cost of attacks and the expanding exposure due to the ongoing digitalization of society. Cultural institutions, recognizing the vital role of their digital assets, must become more aware of potential threats and adopt strategies, skills, and tools to protect them. Simultaneously, security forces need to integrate investigative methods with specific competencies from the humanities to effectively address the virtualization of social interactions and the growing uncertainty around the reliability of digital sources. This talk aims to merge the needs for cyber security, defense, and intelligence skills, for humanits to safeguard the digital cultural ecosystem.
Giovanni Bergamin LOGOS Research&Innovation, Florence, Italy
Valeria Paraninfi University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy
A prototype for Hyperstage: starting from a collaborative ontology
This prototype aims to empower Hyperstage, a project building an open knowledge base to reconstruct Italian theatrical performances.
Wikibase.cloud manages data (input and archiving), while a user-friendly web application (built with open-source software) handles search and presentation. This application interacts with the Hyperstage Wikibase instance using SPARQL and Wikibase API. Importantly, Wikibase enables collaborative ontology development (essential due to the lack of a standard) and participation in the Linked Open Data network.
Leveraging contributions from project partners, the prototype has uploaded data for 78 theatrical productions, addressing complex cultural heritage data challenges like entity definition. We are developing solutions for managing digital objects and performance replicas to ensure better organization and accessibility of information.
An intuitive user interface (under development) prioritizes ease of use for a broad audience.
By fostering knowledge sharing, Hyperstage aims to be a valuable tool for exploring and understanding Italy’s rich theatrical history.
Sara Di Giorgio Consortium GARR, Rome, Italy
Empowering cultural heritage: GARR’s infrastructure to innovate the performing arts revolution
In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital cultural heritage, robust digital infrastructure is crucial for innovation, particularly in the performing arts domain. GARR provides the technological backbone necessary for innovative initiatives in this field. This presentation will introduce GARR and its services.
As Italy’s National Research and Education Network, GARR offers ultra-fast connectivity and advanced services tailored to the cultural heritage sector. The GARR network connects approximately 1000 sites, including universities, research centres, libraries, museums, and cultural institutions. It facilitates high-definition data transfer while ensuring secure access. Through the European GÉANT network, GARR provides global connectivity, fostering international collaboration.
GARR’s services include cloud computing, data storage, and identity management, designed for the cultural heritage community. As coordinator of the Skills4EOSC project, GARR is establishing Competence Centres for Open Science to promote FAIRness skills. Courses on digital collections in museums will provide resources for the performing arts community to update digital curators’ skills and improve open science practices.
In the Hyperstage project, GARR offers computing resources and support for cloud infrastructure, essential for platforms using decentralized databases.
This partnership exemplifies GARR’s commitment to advancing cutting-edge technologies in the cultural heritage domain, particularly in the realm of performing arts.
Nina Marie Evensen Center for Ibsen Studies, University of Oslo, Norway
IbsenStage: Tracking the Worldwide Performances of Henrik Ibsen’s Works
IbsenStage is a relational database dedicated to documenting global performances of Henrik Ibsen’s plays. It features metadata on over 26,000 events, 100,000 contributors both on and off stage, and 10,880 theatre venues, This makes it unparalleled worldwide—no other resource, including those focused on Shakespeare, offers such extensive information on the performances of a single playwright’s works.
In this presentation, we will highlight the key features and use cases of the database. The interconnected tables with unique identifiers create a detailed and organized repository for research and exploration. It supports complex queries, detailed reporting and map visualizations of datasets, which makes it a valuable tool for anyone interested in the global impact of Henrik Ibsen’s theatrical contributions. Researchers can analyze trends in the popularity of Ibsen’s plays over time and across regions, theater professionals can draw inspiration for new productions and gain insight into historical contexts, and enthusiasts can explore detailed records of past performances, including cast and crew information, photographs, and reviews. We will also outline our future plans for integrating IbsenStage with other digital resources related to Henrik Ibsen. As Norway’s most prominent cultural figure and playwright, Ibsen has a vast array of digital materials associated with him. This includes a comprehensive digital scholarly edition of his complete works, an international bibliography of his published writings, transcripts of translations and reviews, as well as numerous archival records documenting his life and contributions to literature and the arts. Our goal is to unify these resources to improve accessibility and enable a thorough exploration of Ibsen’s profound impact across all aspects of the global cultural landscape.
Silvia Garzarella University of Bologna, Italy
Preserving Ballet: A Computer Vision Approach to Dance Sources
Preserving the cultural heritage of ballet necessitates a comparative analysis of diverse sources, both tangible and intangible, often dislocated and not always digitized. This contribution explores the intersection of dance studies and digital technologies, focusing on effective methodologies for analyzing ballet repertoire, investigating choreographers’ legacies, and curating archival documents within theatre archives or scholarly studies. Grounded in doctoral research on Rudolf Nureyev’s artistic legacy, the presentation will highlight the potential of machine learning and computer vision for processing common documentary resources associated with ballet (such as paper documents, audiovisual materials, and costumes).
Donatella Gavrilovich University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy
The Hyperstage project: work in progress at a glance
The Hyperstage project aims to create an Open Knowledge base for the semantic reconstruction of theatrical performances through the harvesting and processing resources from the New Italian Network of theatrical digital archives. The goal is to make data available on the Hyperstage all the metadata of the theatrical production sought by the user, usually scattered in various archives, libraries and websites, already organized and ready for use according to the phases of creation, staging and final documentation. The main innovation of the Hyperstage project is the methodology. It is an innovative and non-applicative methodology of pre-established models. It must consider a significant number of variants, of data to be collected and sorted in a logical and organic way in accordance with new cataloging and metadata organization criteria, based above all on the know-how of humanist scholars and theater experts. The aim is to enhance theatrical production as a “Total Work of Art” in itself completed, conceived and realized in a specific historical, social, political, cultural and artistic context.
This speech will present an assessment of the results achieved, ongoing challenges and the development phases one year after the project kick-off.
Klaus Illmayer University of Vienna – Departement of Theatre, Film, and Media Studies
Connecting archival records with performance identifiers
The Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies at University of Vienna hosts an archive and a theater collection (AuS tfm) as well as a database with information on theater performances in Austria in the 20th century (theadok.at). When implementing an archive information system for AuS tfm it was clear that there must be a connection with theadok.at, especially as the theater collection contains many photographs of rehearsals. Connecting these photographs – but also other archival materials – with the corresponding performance production would create benefit for both projects as well as for the theater studies community. The crucial point is how do create the connection between both datasets in the different databases as there is no international authority file for theater performances. In my talk I like to present the current way how the data sharing between AuS tfm and theadok.at is managed and how archival material is connected to related performances. As this is currently a local solution, I will also present some thought about how to create a service that acts nearly like an authority file for performances and how these performance identifiers could help in connecting theater relevant material from different sources like archives and collections
Mariel Marshall Canadian artist and technology entrepreneur, Bluemouth inc., Toronto and New York
Digital Immortals: Creating an Interactive Archive of an Artist’s Life Using AI
Join interdisciplinary artist Mariel Marshall from bluemouth inc. (Canada | USA) as she shares the creative process behind the company’s latest work: Game of Life. This diptych experience, consisting of two interconnected pieces, Elephant and Lucy AI, uses immersive environments and artificial intelligence to transform our engagement with memory and mortality. Elephant is an immersive performance that invites participants to a dinner party, where deeply felt conversations are sparked between guests. The piece explores the notion of community, connection and how we come together. Using live video, a 24 foot interactive musical dinner-table, and participatory games, the piece is a live-film mashup that’s part documentary, part lucid dream, and not entirely under control. Meanwhile, Lucy AI is an interactive video installation that captures the ephemeral nature of memory. The piece is a collaboration with Re-Imagine AI, founded by David Usher, and bluemouth inc.’s founding member, Lucy Simic. The result is a poetic and interactive archive of an artist’s life. Together, these works offer a deeply personal and thought-provoking exploration of human existence, examining how performance and technology can help preserve and share our personal experiences and memories. This talk will provide insights into the creative process behind Game of Life, highlighting the intersection of art, technology, and the human condition.
Alejandra Medellín de la Piedra Centro Nacional de Investigación de Danza “José Limón”, Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura, México
Reimagining Documentation: Networked Approaches for Mexico’s Dance Heritage
This paper presents two case studies that exemplify the potential of networked approaches to reimagine and transform dance documentation in Mexico. First, we discuss the development of a digital repository to preserve and provide public access to the unique collection of dance materials of the National Dance Research Center “José Limón”. By connecting information that was previously fragmented across various locally accessible databases, we aim to create a comprehensive digital resource to study Mexico’s dance history. Second, we explore the creation of an “Ethnographic Atlas of Dances of Mexico”, a project that seeks to document the nation’s rich and diverse dance traditions. While the first project works with documents (photographs, playbills, newspaper clippings), the second starts from a set of ethnographic records and lays the groundwork for involving specialists and the communities themselves in the documentation of dances. Both projects highlight the challenges and opportunities of building interconnected digital collections. Through these case studies, we advocate for a data model that can forge connections between previously disconnected information silos.To achieve this, we need more than just technology; we require a shift in mindset that embraces collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and the creation of flexible networks to encourage knowledge sharing, the development of technical skills, and experimentation.
Esther Merino Peral Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain
METASCENOGRAPHIC (ESMUVI). A proposal for virtual immersion museum of the history of spectacle and scenography in the modern age.
Recreation and virtual immersion of the most representative performative episodes of the History of the Spectacle of the “Ludically Aulic” of the Modern Age, with iconological analysis and interpretation, meaning and ideological scope for the Social History and Cultural History Culture represents an economic value in continuous growth, but above all an important factor of attraction and development of a territory and its inhabitants, which multiplies exponentially in the virtual sphere, when geographical borders are eliminated. In this case, it is not a virtual experience within the physical museum (Museum of Herculaneum, Space of Stockholm), but an integral immersion, an approach to an entirely recreation virtual (Augmented Reality/Avatars), multidisciplinary, of several episodes on History of the Spectacle and Scenography, like a new form of transmission of knowledge and therefore a pedagogical and didactic tool of an innovative nature, for theatrically studies.
Johan Oomen Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision, Netherlands
AI in Archives: Transforming SSH Research & Society
The transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in audiovisual
archiving is evident across various use cases, including search and
exploration, preservation, artistic expression, and big-data analysis. This
presentation examines the integration of AI solutions, particularly within
humanities and social sciences (SSH) research, to explore their impact and
potential. The rise of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Large Multimedia
Models (LMMs) presents new opportunities and challenges. For example, LLMs can assist researchers in annotating content for framing analysis across
vast textual data sets. However, further investigation is required to
fine-tune these systems and effectively integrate them into research
workflows, ensuring reliable and trustworthy results. The objective of this
research is to develop a roadmap guiding the development and application of
LLMs and LMMs in SSH research. This involves: (i) identifying SSH research
areas, such as framing analysis, that could benefit from LLMs/LMMs; (ii)
highlighting limitations and risks associated with these technologies; and
(iii) providing recommendations on designing and fine-tuning LLMs and LMMs
to meet the needs of SSH scholars. Additionally, the discussion extends to
how researchers, archives, and cultural institutions can contribute to
promoting responsible AI practices and enhancing “AI Literacy” in society.
This includes exploring practical approaches for cultural institutions to
engage with the ethical and societal implications of AI. Examples include
curating exhibitions that examine AI’s impact on human life, hosting public
workshops to educate about AI technologies and their implications, and
collaborating with researchers to create resources that encourage critical
thinking about AI in diverse communities.
Elisa Passone University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy
From ArtBase (Archive and Theatre Database) to ArtChat (Archive and Theatre Chat) via LLMs
This presentation will show the status of the work on the national database for italian historic theatres and theatre archives ArtBase. The project at the moment focuses on the territory of Rome and Macerata: the speech will explain the first reflextions derived from the comparison of the data collected and it will present a prototype of the database, with examples of queries in MySql.
The purpose of the project is to propose an application of AI tecnologies in the field of the performing arts. The ArtChat portal will test the use of Large Language Models to create an interactive chat to let the user interact with the data about theatres in the most appropriate and effective way, according to the user tipology. ArtChat will public online ArtBase and will use the data collected in it, converting queries in natural language to Sql code, using RAG.
The ambition is not only to guarantee the best access possible to informations for experts of the field , but mostly for a large audience of tourists, to promote spectacle as a cultural heritage that must be valued and preserved.
Paola Ranzini IUF, Avignon Université, France
Rémi Ronfard Centre Inria de l’Université Grenoble Alpes, France
Past theatre productions: from archive to virtual reconstruction
The archive documents analysis to imagine the theatre past ephemeral creation is an important operation for the historian of theatre. Our paper reports on the first phases of an ongoing project aimed at using virtual reality to visualise the staging indications provided by archive documents. This project brings together the skills of a theatre specialist and a research director with scientific expertise in virtual reality and the metaverse. It aims to examine the documents with a view to reconstructing the staging as a whole, using virtual reality. In particular, we propose to study the French tradition of the prompt book (the « relevé de mise en scène »).
Our working hypothesis is that the staging notes establish a veritable meta-writing of the performance, enabling it to be reconstructed. The description of what happens on stage tends to become standardised through the creation of standard formulas that are repeated wherever similar actions, movements or movements are perceived.
To test our hypothesis, VR room scale reconstruction offers a number of advantages. This visualisation can be carried out at several levels of detail, incorporating several categories of scenic indications. We will present the initial results of the trials we have set up to test our hypothesis.
Riku Rohiankorpi Tampere University and The University of Helsinki, Finland
Mutuality Beyond Innovation: On the Social Function(s) of Digital Performance
The practitioners and audiences of the performing arts have been quick to tap into the potentials that innovations in virtual / mixed reality technologies and AI suggest or bring about. Serving as concrete testbeds in flux, the live arts productions offer tech and media corporations a relevant – and, at times, unruly – platforms for developing and refining the social and functional foci of their products and services.
This relationship not only embodies the social and ideological economy of the techno-genesis (Simondon, Stiegler, Hayles) of contemporary communication and interaction. It also hints at a ‘social ghost in the machine,’ the problem of addressing the peculiar and millenia-old form of social gathering and identification of the performing arts (Guénoun) through the latest innovations in technologically supervised mutuality and artificial agency. The technologies and media of sensory and experiential influencing and the machines that learn and evolve with social statuses partake in reconfiguring the communities of performance.
Yet, said digital enthusiasm often runs a show it has not conceived. Embracing the idea of liquid (ideological) cyber-architectures (Novak) through modern, commercial settings already summons the specters of social evolution and accumulation (Agamben) hard to fully appreciate at a time of technological reformation. Apparent and even banal as prerequisites for a performance, the condition and the ethics of mutuality establish a social motivation beyond the digital innovations of augmented interaction.
Raffaella Santucci LOGOS Research&Innovation, Florence, Italy
Open Science Policies in SSH: Connecting Research, Data, and Public Access
Open Science is reshaping the landscape of social sciences and humanities (SSH) by promoting greater transparency, accessibility, and collaboration in research. This shift encourages the sharing of data, publications, and methodologies, enhancing the visibility and impact of SSH research. Through open access policies, collaborative platforms, and data-sharing initiatives, open science facilitates interdisciplinary connections and democratizes knowledge. This talk explores the current role of open science policies in SSH, highlighting key opportunities and challenges in implementing open practices across diverse research fields.
Andrea Vitalini Teatro alla Scala – Head of Historical Artistic Archives, Italy
La Scala Historical Database of performances: evolution and perspectives
La Scala Historical Database was designed at the end of the 1980s with programmes written by the internal IT Department, using IBM’s AS/400 system. In 1990, data entry began, with a high level of detail, starting with current productions and going backwards in time.
From the second half of the 1990s, the AS400 system, previously used by many of the departments of the Theatre, is gradually being replaced by personal computers and other more versatile systems, but fortunately the Historical Database continues to operate on this system, being continuously updated. In the meantime, the DAM Project is launched with the aim of digitalising historical material, i.e. audio recordings, playbills, photographs and costumes, which draws information from the Historical Database to link the digitalised files, enabling the querying. The historical data and part of the multimedia items are also made available to external users on the theatre’s website.
Up today, the Database covers the period from 1943/44 to 2023/24, about 35% of La Scala history, and two essential objectives are being achieved: the migration of the Database to a new, more versatile and faster system, which will be linked once again to the other departments of the Theatre, and the digitalisation of La Scala paper chronology, which will make it possible to cover the period from 1778 to 1943, at least with the essential data on performances, providing a basis to complete the Historical Database of Teatro alla Scala more quickly.
Sarah Whatley Coventry University, UK
AI in creating and archiving performance: dance, disability and robotics
This presentation will share a recent project that brought together expertise from dance, computing science, robotics and disabled dancers to explore the complexities of touch and consent in human-robot interaction. The investigation considered how felt experiences of ethics can reveal both underlying assumptions and alternative possibilities concerning somatic relationships to robotic systems. We asked how the dancer’s expertise in spatial discrimination, rhythmic and dynamic shaping, weight sharing and reciprocity in partnering work, might reveal what ‘acceptable touch’ with the robots might mean, to not only inform the design of robots for multiple users but expands a shared discourse of disability, HCI, dance and robotics. The presentation will also look forward to how this research is informing the next stage to consider how the responsible use of AI may create an archive of dance/robot/machine interaction. How might an archival process raise questions about embodiment and lived experience of disability, and the complex issues of consent in the human/AI/robot interface? How might an ethics of care be embedded within the archival process to rethink normative methods of data capture, extraction and representation? Can AI provide new methods to address the limitations of motion capture to expand a focus on movement to incorporate touch and tactility, and what then are the implications for its documentation, archiving and reactivation?
Anamarija Žugić Borić The Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb, Croatia
Aligning Arts and Humanities: Theatralia’s Contribution to DARIAH-EU Infrastructure
The integration of performing arts within the broader landscape of digital infrastructures is a critical challenge that the working group Theatralia, under the DARIAH-EU consortium (The Digital Research Infrastructure for the Arts and Humanities), aims to address. Theatralia is dedicated to helping DARIAH-EU build robust digital infrastructure for the arts and humanities across Europe, ensuring that performing arts remain a vibrant discipline while also striving to bridge the representation gap between arts and humanities within the consortium and beyond.
The presentation will explore how DARIAH-EU supports its working groups through financial backing and the promotion of their findings within the European academic community. It will also highlight how DARIAH’s events and initiatives enhance researchers’ understanding of digital technologies in the performing arts by providing a platform for the exchange of best practices and fostering collaboration among its working groups. Furthermore, attention will be given to the role of DARIAH’s events in the professional development of researchers, particularly in deepening their understanding of digital technologies within the context of performing arts. Ultimately, this focus on Theatralia and its integration within DARIAH-EU underscores the ongoing dialogue about maintaining the artistic integrity of the performing arts while embracing digital transformation. The discussion will emphasize the importance of keeping the performing arts as an active and evolving field, rather than just a collection of data for digital archives.