The lure of the foreign stage: Italian art and artistry serving the French and European spectacle.

Project Information

SPECTACLE

Grant agreement ID: 893106

DOI

10.3030/893106

Project closed

EC signature date 18 March 2020

Start date 1 November 2020

End date 31 October 2023

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 269 002,56

EU contribution

€ 269 002,56

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITA CA' FOSCARI VENEZIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SPECTACLE (The lure of the foreign stage: Italian art and artistry serving the French and European spectacle.)

Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2023-10-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

SPECTACLE is a multidisciplinary investigation intersecting histories of culture, art, stage design, and theatre. It aims to define the cultural meaning of ‘spectacle’ and ‘spectacularity’ in France and in a selection of European capitals in the long 18th century. Specifically, this project investigates how Italian artists from different backgrounds provided key contributions to French and European spectacle broadly conceived (e.g. public and private performances, propaganda events) and how their creations could be used as tools of socio-political communication. Outcomes of this project have been achieved and disseminated via publications, conferences, seminars, and podcasts.
Overall objective: investigate the meaning of ‘spectacularity’ in European 18th century culture
SO1) establish a new interdisciplinary understanding of spectacle by:
a) using primary source examples of the use of the terms ‘spectacle’ and ‘spectacular’ and the cognates across European Languages;
b) exploring the theorization of ‘spectacle’ in current literature across art, theatre, and performance;
c) deploying examples of the collaborative creation of spectacle (stage designers, decorators, firework-makers, circus performers);
SO2) to chart specific examples of the collaborative networks behind the creation of new forms of spectacle and explore the extent to which these can be defined in terms of transnational networks of communities. In particular, exploring the aspect of migration for political reasons.

This research has led to the following expected results:

1. An analysis of how stage designers dealt with different artistic commissions (both public and private) and official artists (e.g. painters who worked for the official government)
2. An inquiry into Franco-Italian networks of creativity and innovation in post-Revolutionary and early Napoleonic Europe. This was to reveal how theatre and the actual medium in which artists chose to work highlights interesting connections, collaborations, and continuities while also highlighting insufficiently studied relationships between politics and the performing arts.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Year 1: 1/11/2020 – 31/10/2021

(Initial) Secondment (Università Ca’ Foscari): 2 months
Implementation of the project methodology and literature review.

Secondment (Sorbonne Université): 4 months
Diversification of knowledge and acquisition of new research methodologies.
Main accomplishments:
1) Knowledge diversification in French dramatic literature
2) Established long-lasting networking opportunities with a community of French scholars
3) Improved communication skills and abilities to convey in French my research outcomes

Short visits for archival research: 4 months

Main accomplishment:
Archival material has been collected and scientifically organized in a database.

Transfer to the US at the partner host institute NYU (14 months from 1/9/2021 to 31/10/2022)

Year 2: 1/11/2021 – 31/10/2022

Training and research activities in partnership with NYU.
Main accomplishments:
1) Diversification of knowledge
2) Teaching activities at NYU
3) Communication
4) Management of interdisciplinarity projects and training outside academia

Results: co-authorship of one peer review, open-access article

Year 3: 1/11/2022 – 31/10/2023

Incoming phase at the host institution, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Main accomplishments:
1) Two-way transfer of knowledge
2) Dissemination and Communication activities

Results: organization of an international and interdisciplinary conference hosted at Ca’ Foscari University on June 2023. Over 20 international speakers visited Venice for this purpose, while the audience attended in person and via Zoom. Outcomes of the conference will be published in a peer-reviewed and open-access journal, while a series of 7 podcasts was produced for the general public in partnership with Radio Ca’ Foscari and is available online (on the streaming platform of the web radio, on my project’s website, and on Zenodo). Through short research missions, during this final year, it was possible to implement the research aspects that remained incomplete during years 1 and 2.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

With SPECTACLE I have integrated the art history approach with a methodology pertinent to studies in cultural history, filling a gap of knowledge that intersects studies in art, theatre, and performance. With my training experience during the outgoing phase, I have learned how to bridge the academic research with the contemporary societal challenges in the fields of arts and theatre. Dissemination is taking place via open access publications (three articles already accepted, one article under peer-review process, one at an advanced stage of writing), a book proposal submitted for review, one international conference organized in June 2023 at the host institution, radio content, and a website. In the future, the website will be transformed into a digital platform for data sharing with potential stakeholders.

Impact
A. At a researcher level, professional development:
On an academic level: scientific publications. Training beyond academia: skills to be a theatre consultant or a producer in the domain of 18th century performances.
B. At an organizational level: Establishment of a network of scholars and theatre professionals (artists, musicians, dancers). My final conference in June 2023 involved over 20 international scholars from different areas of expertise (art, theatre, culture historians, musicologists). All the outcomes of my project are shared via a platform currently under development.
C. At a system level - Benefits to European excellence/competitiveness and the European Union: through the training gained at the partner host institution I have promoted the societal impact of my project. I have been motivated to consider different ways of approaching an 18th century theatre production, such as whether it is more appropriate to rely on a historically informed reconstruction or make use of a restaging that speaks to contemporary audiences. In the future, I aim to bridge the gap between the work of an academic researcher and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations Member States, goal 16.

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