Projects / Programmes
Theatre and interart studies
January 1, 2013
- December 31, 2017
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.06.00 |
Humanities |
Culturology |
|
| 6.08.00 |
Humanities |
Musicology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H003 |
Humanities |
History and Arts |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 6.04 |
Humanities |
Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music) |
Researchers (12)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The "Theatre and interart studies" programme focusses upon basic research on the Slovenian arts, especially theatre, fine art and music, with its significance reaching into the humanities as well. It represents the first institutional scientific collaboration among the three art academies of Ljubljana University: the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, the Academy of Music, and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design. The programme brings together theoretical and historical perspectives and enforces transdisciplinary methodological approaches, which transcend traditional academic disciplines. It thus connects often hermetically closed fields of particular artistic views and analyses. It focusses on historical and contemporary (inter)artistic phenomena as well as on the development of new methodological tools and interpretative models. In addition to the mutual refinement of the fields researched, such inter- and transdisciplinary orientation enables a more thorough contextualisation of the arts within the wider cultural and social dynamics. Our scientific and research activities are based on contemporary theoretisation of the general artistic and cultural issues while simultaneously drawing on the relevant historical methods and current studies of contemporary artistic practices and phenomena. The programme is especially oriented towards the theatrical field and Slovenian issues, which requires contextualization within the specific historical, social and political environment.
Studying theatrical and inter-art phenomena, the research group identified numerous gaps in the history of Slovenian art and threw new light on its development to a considerable extent (in the 20th century). In the years to come, it will research how the arts of the 20th and the first two decades of the 21st centuries participated in the debates on wider social issues and actively co-shaped the cultural and political spheres. The hybrid spaces at the crossroads of theatre, fine art and music, which come across as a privileged site of artistic innovation, will be studied from the perspective of social and intercultural exchange with the adjacent cultures (Slavic, Romanic and Germanic). The research group will explore their influence upon the shaping of Slovenian national identity.
The intense participation in international research projects and other networks ensures the verification of the findings from the intercultural and international perspectives. The international connections take place within the STEP Project on European Theatre Systems, the European Network for the Research and Documentation of Performances of Ancient Greek Drama, the IFTR/FIRT International Federation for Theatre Research, the PSI Performance Studies International etc. Exchanges have also been established with numerous partners at universities abroad (Freie Universität Berlin, University of Warwick, Trinity College Dublin, York University, University of Toronto etc.).
Significance for science
The programme is of key significance for theatre, fine art and music studies, generating original research on the phenomena that have profoundly influenced the development of the Slovenian arts. The research on theatrical and inter-art phenomena focusses on the study of the connection between the various arts while shedding new light and critically revise the established interpretations. Special attention is paid to the development of terminology and new methodological tools; complex phenomena at the crossroads of the various arts are namely in need of suitable namings and innovative approaches to their study. A special advantage of the programme is in its exploration of specialised field issues from the broader sociological and culturological viewpoints. Slovenian theatrical and inter-art phenomena are studied as interdependent on the social, cultural and economic paradigms; in this, the Slovenian arts are considered active co-shapers of social and intercultural exchange. The research aims to show in what ways the intercultural contacts in the artistic field have influenced the configuration of the broader cultural and sociopolitical spheres. The intercultural exchange in the Slovenian territory (as a crossroads of Slavic, Romanic and Germanic culture) in the 20th and the first two decades of the 21st centuries will be systematically recorded, bring new findings in the field of ethnographic studies and open new views on the issues connected with the shaping of Slovenian national identity. The research on the symbolic, cultural and economic values of artworks will help determine the role of the arts in Slovenian society. Due to the complexity of the themes explored, the research programme will importantly contribute to the dialogue on the topical epistemological and methodological issues in the humanities.
The programme goes beyond the national research framework. The results yielded so far have proved interesting especially for the art studies in Middle- and East European countries. Due to the referential scientific publication of the research (Theatre Research International – Oxford University Press, Performance Research – Routledge, Theater – Yale School of Drama & Duke University Press, Rodopi, Muzikološki zbornik/Musicological Annual etc.) and the participation of the members of the group in international projects and networks, the results can be expected to become even more influential. The new findings are already part of the educational process at the University of Ljubljana and have also been presented abroad (e. g. University of Warwick, Trinity College Dublin, FU Berlin).
The empirical analyses and materials collected in the research programme represent a notable addition to the national data collection on the Slovenian arts, especially in the fields of theatre, fine art and music. They also contribute to the preservation of Slovenian national heritage.
Significance for the country
The theoretical and historical reflection on artistic phenomena in Slovenia and abroad importantly influences the development of cultural and artistic activities in Slovenia as well as the preservation of Slovenian national and cultural heritage. Indirectly, it also contributes to sustainable development of the state, which is important due to the great sociopolitical, economic, cultural and technological changes in the 21st century. On the one hand, openness, transitivity, mobility and multiculturalism are valued in the contemporary world. On the other hand, the disintegration of cultural and national borders gives rise to identity-related insecurities, especially in the case of small nations. For the Slovenian nation, whose identity has been culture- and language-based throughout history, a greater care for the development of its culture and art is thus essential. This research aspires toward an in-depth analysis of the relationship between the arts, society and the state; the study of the framing of the Slovenian arts in intercultural connections; and the expansion of the research field upon the diaspora and the Slovenian communities abroad. In this way, it will importantly contribute to the strengthening of Slovenian national identity and its place in the European Community.
The research will create the theoretical foundations for the enforcement of the operative developmental guidelines for Slovenian cultural organizations and their international presence strategies. It can serve as a starting point for the shaping of the future cultural policies. The programme will also contribute to the economic development: as shown by the research on the relationship between the symbolic, cultural and economic values of artworks, the arts play an important economic role.
The interdisciplinary approach to the history of the Slovenian arts and their social function will enable an expansion of the research fields in social sciences and humanities (theatre studies, art history, literature studies, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, musicology); open new research courses; and enable discourse between traditionally separate disciplines (sciences and humanities).
As the research programme members are professors and researchers in the arts and humanities, the research programme will also vitally contribute to the quality of the university studies for artistic professions and humanity disciplines in Slovenia. Nowadays, this role is of special importance as Slovenian universities are part of the common European higher education and cultural space, enforcing knowledge flow and intercultural exchange. The collaboration of the programme group members in international research and culture projects will ensure that the research programme remains committed to the promotion of Slovenian culture, arts and sciences in the international arena.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2013,
2014,
2015,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2013,
2014,
2015,
final report
