Toneelstof: a dynamic online platform for discursive performing arts history

February 19th, 2013 by

Screenshot from 2013-02-19 14:21:53

Between 2007 and 2010 a series of four documentary DVDs was published together with a special issue of the Flemish theater magazine Documenta. The concept was to combine newly conducted in-depth interviews and video material from public television. These DVDs, covering the 1960s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, offer a valuable insight into recent developments in the Flemish performing arts. Last summer, the Vlaams Theaterinstituut (VTi) launched a new website, reviving the material from the DVDs within an online environment: www.toneelstof.be. The interviews – which are fully text-searchable – are considered the backbone of the website. The visualization on a timeline reveals different kinds of connections and cross-references in the interviews (e.g., who is talking about whom and about which productions?). The interviews are complemented by video fragments, reviews, and photographs from different sources. The VTi database provides extra context about the people, organizations, and productions featuring on the website, and leads visitors to the VTi collection for more thorough research. A wiki functions as a flexible edit environment in order to have the website grow on a daily basis.

New interviews are conducted in 2013 and regularly new digital material is added to the website. The website is in Dutch.

A presentation on the project in English is available on http://prezi.com/i2pmj2do5kgb/revaluingtheatricalheritage_presentatietoneelstof/

Travelogue 2: Future steps

November 15th, 2012 by

The culture sector, local, regional, national and European policy makers have to find adequate answers to ever-changing practices in transnational cultural exchange: export, import, various forms of cooperation, mobility of people and artworks. Better monitoring and measuring of mobility is crucial and reliable statistics and data collection are key to developing future culture mobility policies, both on EU Member States level and on EU level. A sustainable long-term mapping instrument should be developed and implemented across the EU in order to monitor cross-border artistic mobility, highlight existing imbalances and explore cultural policies’ impact on international mobility flows.

In 2009-2011 – in the context of SPACE – a first Travelogue Prototype that links very diverse national datasets about international touring was developed. This tool functioned as a leverage to raise awareness with national governments about the necessity of improving and coordinating data collections and as a starting point for capacity building within ministries and institutions. With this goal in mind, we organised workshops, seminars and conferences, we developed technical guidelines & documentation and provided one-on-one technical support. More info can be found on http://www.arts-mobility.info. 

Building on the foundations of Travelogue 1, Travelogue 2 wants to further develop this sustainable monitoring instrument that can feed national and European cultural policies. 

  • SO 1: Travelogue 2 analyses international mobility in the performing arts, with special attention to asymmetries and factors stimulating or hindering high quality mobility.

  • SO 2: Travelogue 2 raises political awareness about the necessity of well-coordinated data collection to feed cultural policy and assist in building up the technical capacity to do so. This combination is key to filling up the gaps in current data collection on European performing arts mobility. 

Oral Histories – Documenting the Performing Arts

November 2nd, 2011 by

The main objective of the Centro de investigación y recursos de las artes escénicas de Andalucía (CIRAE) has been to increase knowledge and understanding and to promote the study of history in the Andalusian Performing Arts. In this sense, since the birth of the centre, the audio-visual department has been recording all main events: professional theatre and dance performances, workshops and courses by theatre and dance practitioners, seminars etc. in order to maintain the evolution of our collection for students, researchers and the general public – for both present and future generations. In this context we have since 2007 conducted and recorded 20 Oral Histories’ interviews, about 40 hours’ worth in total, with performing arts’ personalities responsible for, or related to, performances produced in the 60’s and 70’s. Actors, directors, authors, critics, technicians, dancers etc. have all been included. These interviews are full life histories with the emphasis given to the narrator’s own personal experience, and a unique point of view as a source of knowledge.

Digital Archive of Performing Arts in Andalusia

November 2nd, 2011 by
Archive and documentation

Photo: CIRAE/Fernando Alda

In this database we are collecting, cataloguing and preserving the documentation that is to be the graphic memory of theatre and dance in Andalusia. Programmes, posters, photographs (prints and negatives), press cuttings, costume and set designs… are systematically digitalized and catalogued in our electronic archive (AEI) that holds over 130.000 images from the beginning of the XXth century till today. In near future, it will be available online.

State of the project: in progress, started in 1992

Photography Plan of the “Centro de investigación y recursos de las artes escénicas de Andalucía” (CIRAE)

November 2nd, 2011 by

The aim of this plan is similar to the filming project: collecting illustrated feature productions of theatrical and dance performances, training courses, workshops, etc. After being selected, they are incorporated in the performing arts digital archive, where they are catalogued and put at the disposal of the researchers, teachers, and any other person interested.

Currently holding 8,024 photographic reports. We are in the process of digitalizing our audiovisual funds.

State of the project: in progress, started in 2004.

Filming Plan of the “Centro de investigación y recursos de las artes escénicas de Andalucía” (CIRAE)

November 2nd, 2011 by

The filming plan aims to record all main events such as professional theatre and dance performances, workshops, festivals… in our region providing a double service both to the companies, who get a free videotape of their work, and to the centre that, being the producer of the videos, has the copyright of these materials.

Currently holding over 7,065 video recordings in all formats: beta, vhs, betacam, 8 mm, and in digital mini dv format.

State of the project: in progress, started in 1999.