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Beyond the immediacy of live performance, the film and sound documents that record it (recordings, trailers, interviews, etc.) open up new possibilities for preserving, disseminating, or documenting stage works. As recording technologies have evolved, archival holdings have continued to grow—yet for what purpose, exactly? To build a memory of the performing arts? To prompt scholarly research? To foster the circulation of knowledge and cultural mediation? To nourish the creative imagination?
The book examines the ways in which these resources are used. They are defined not only by the fragility and limited lifespan of their physical media, but also by the rapid transformation of the artistic and bodily modes of expression they document (more or less faithfully to the original): nothing, indeed, is more fleeting than a way of moving, occupying space, or speaking on a stage. To reflect on the obstacles and approaches to solutions developed in recent projects for the enhancement and mediation of this type of archive in the performing arts—within academic research, university and artistic teaching, cultural mediation, or stage practice—this volume brings together contributions from more than twenty specialists, including SAPA Director Beate Schlichenmaier and SAPA’s specialist in performing arts, Dr Julia Wehren.
The authors
Romain Bionda is a senior research and teaching assistant in comparative literature at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lausanne and a member of the Centre for Theatre Studies.
Danielle Chaperon is a full professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Lausanne and a member of the Centre for Theatre Studies, and also serves on the advisory board of the SAPA Foundation.
