The Aesthetics of Open-air Theatre in Terms of Cultural Diversity and Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Study of Open-air Theatre Work in German-speaking Switzerland
The interdisciplinary research project is investigating the current state of open-air theatre in Switzerland – by building on the findings of the SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation) and DORE (DO-REsearch) research project entitled 'Open-air Theatre 2007-2008/Focus on Theatre with Non-professional Performers' (2008/09). It is concerned in particular with two additional lines of enquiry.
In terms of aesthetics: What specific aesthetics are emerging in today's open-air theatre? The evident professionalisation of the artistic crew and the diversity of forms identified are shifting the focus to the disciplines of spatial arrangement, music, movement/choreography and costume. So what specific demands are made of those responsible for individual artistic disciplines?
'Aesthetics' in the context of this project, as compared with other definitions of the term in the broader sense, is taken to mean a perspective which 'places theatrical experience and perception at the centre and looks into these things'. (Kolesch 2005). Accordingly, it is a case of 'continuing to develop concepts for aesthetics and a language which remains attentive and open to developments within the arts themselves and retains a close affinity with this artistic event'.
In terms of intangible cultural heritage: The currency of this topic as an object of research at both national and international level received a boost in 2008 when UNESCO ratified the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. More than other forms of theatre, open-air theatre is more likely to be discussed – at a wide variety of levels – as a potential vehicle for intangible cultural assets. How far does the remit of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ratified in 2008) extend to the situation of open-air theatre – and the tension between theatre as a constantly evolving practice and a means of recording traditions?
All areas work with qualitative methods of field research with a view to saying something as accurate and as close to actual practice as possible.