TEXDANCE started at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, with the collection of data to be analysed. The corpus taken into consideration in this project was made of 630 objects. This task was finalised at the University of Oxford, during my Secondment. The aim was first to understand the types of clothes used in Etruscan dance based on visual representations, i.e. their form, their material, their colour. The work consisted in creating a typology of all Etruscan clothes found in visual representations of dance and in doing extensive research on textile production.
The Secondment at the University of Oxford contributed to understand the possible relation between the body and the clothes, to deepen my knowledge in dance research, in Mediterranean archaeology and in particular in the sensory dimensions of ritual practices in Antiquity. This helped to understand both the visual representations of dance and archaeological evidence.
Back at the Centre for Textile Research, University of Copenhagen, I started the reconstruction of Etruscan clothes with textile conservators, and I engaged in three important dissemination tasks: 1. the publication of a ground-breaking book on Dress for Dance in the Ancient World; 2. the co-organisation of an International Conference held in June 2021 and the chair of a panel on Sensory Textiles; 3. the constitution of my database.
More precisely, the Work Package 1 consisted in collecting and analysing data, especially iconographic sources in Copenhagen and Oxford, and in study trips in Europe. In a second step, the Etruscan sources of clothes for dance have been compared to the written, archaeological and iconographic sources from the Mediterranean area. This allowed me to do some experimental analysis. I have tested my hypothesis and collected documentation on textile production, fibres, consumption, dyes, etc. In sum, I have collected an important amount of data and I discovered and added to my corpus exceptional unknown pieces.
The Work package 2 consisted in training. First, I got language training in Academic German, Academic English, and Danish. I also got training in 3D modelling and computer sciences at the University of Lund, Sweden, the University of Venice, Italy, and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. I received regular practical training in several techniques of weaving (warp-weighted loom, tablet weaving, tapestry). I also received training in research management and academic leadership. I attended courses at the University of Copenhagen on Research Project Management and Leadership, as well as ERC grants project writing courses, and I have been selected among the best researchers from UCPH to be part of the Forward Elite and Talent Programme for Excellence in research. Also, I attended training on 1. Data Management Plan, 2. Job Interview, 3. Networking in Academia and Denmark, 4. Transferable skills, 5. Open Science, 6. Media Interview.
Finally, the Work package 3 was dedicated to Dissemination. First, I engaged in Public events. I collaborated on the modern interpretation of Etruscan dance based on modern copies of Etruscan paintings from Tarquinia. An evening show at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen was organized in September 2021. An international groundbreaking conference on SMART TEXTILES will be held at the University of Lille in April 2022. Also, I offered teaching during the Centre for Textile Research’s course on Textile Archaeology: a hands-on approach, also at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, and the Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen. I created websites. TEXDANCE got a project page on Centre for Textile Research’s website, a Facebook account, Instagram account, Twitter account, Youtube Channel. A website fully dedicated to TEXDANCE has been created:
https://texdance.eu/(s’ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) I wrote papers for international conferences, and this is still continuing. I also wrote articles for publication in peer-reviewed international periodicals, and this is still continuing. Finally, I organised and hosted conferences, and a database will be published on TEXDANCE website.
