What question are you trying to answer with your research?

As a visual artist and performance designer, my research centers around how material-designed objects used in both street performance and social activism interact and create meaning within their context, whether on the stage or in the public space. I am particularly interested in understanding the co-creation of meaning between object, space and performer within the scenographic framework, in which we learn how to read objects while they ‘perform’, and in doing so, they acquire new layers of  meaning. My scenographic research thus is focused on the shifting and expanding meaning of  scenographic objects when performing in the public space. 

While this is not necessarily a single research question, it is an overarching theme or area of investigation that examines the relationship between the construction, design and materials of objects in performances and their use in public spaces, the recontextualization of such objects in everyday sites and the role they play in the performance of resistance, bringing a new light to our social–cultural understanding of construction of meaning through performance —by utilizing  the methods of scenography at public sites.

Why that question?  What prompted your interest? 

As a visual artist that grew up during a dictatorial regime in Santiago, Chile, where I participated in political protests and acts of resistance, I developed  a relationship with public spaces as part of a social context and how objects can transform into powerful storytelling devices. Since then, I have focused my artistic research on site-based work.

I began documenting public space performances for my courses, which eventually resulted in a 40-minute documentary, Santiago(en)Vivo. From there, my research took on other forms, such as conference papers and articles, including “Street Theatre and the Scenographic Gaze: Santiago a Mil International Festival, January 2018,” published in Theatre and Performance Design; “Rage at Plaza Dignidad: Performance Design and Activism, Santiago, Chile,” in the edited volume Women’s Innovations in Theatre, Dance, and Performance; and “City as Site: Street Performance and Site Permeability during the Santiago a Mil Theater Festival, Chile, 2012-2015” in Scenography Expanded: An Introduction to Contemporary Performance Design, Series Book 1.

I am currently working on a manuscript titled Rebel Objects of Street Theatre: Scenography, Activism, and the City, which will be part of the Performance Design Series by Bloomsbury. I am incorporating street performance objects from several cities such as Aurillac, France; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dublin, Ireland; New York, USA; Mexico City; Montreal; and Santiago.

What was your first research experience?

My earliest experiences involved shooting and analyzing street performances to capture the interplay between performer, object, and environment, as well as interviewing practitioners of street performance. This hands-on documentation helped me see how physical objects—signs, props, mechanical objects—carry diverse meaning in public spaces due to the layered interconnections during the Santiago a Mil theater Festival (2007-20015). In a way, street performances are place within a canvas that already carry a history, architecture, usage and aesthetics.

Tell us about the research that laid the foundation for your work; whose work are you building upon?

I build on a tradition of performance and scenographic theory that positions objects and environments as central to storytelling. Scholars such as Rachel Hann, author of Beyond Scenography, and Tanja Beer, who wrote Ecoscenography, significantly inform my thinking. Their works highlight how design choices affect both the narrative and ecological dimensions of performances. I also draw on broader performance studies that emphasize the performative power of everyday objects in public and protest contexts.

What questions will remain for the next generation of researchers?

While we know that scenography is a powerful art of storytelling, there is still much to explore regarding sustainability, technology, and community engagement in performance contexts. Future researchers might investigate how public space performances can become more ecologically mindful or how digital tools can reshape the ways we experience objects in performance. Another open question is how protest performance might evolve in an era of increased surveillance and rapid technological change. Furthermore, researchers are diverse, and I do not believe this is a matter of generational or even of research focus, but rather a matter of passion and the desire to share one's work with the world.

What is your favorite library database or book?

I find myself turning most often to the work of Dorita Hannah, Miwon Kwon, and Erika Fischer-Lichte. Their work offer practical insights and theoretical frameworks that resonate with my own research on how objects and environments interact to create meaning.

How can someone learn more about your work?

The best way to learn more is to visit my website: https://www.artistic-dossier.com/ and/or explore my profile on ResearchGate, where I share publications, ongoing projects, and documentation of performances that I have studied or have been involved with. Additionally, taking my courses is a great way to learn more about my work: THEA 359 Space for Performance, which is cross-listed with IDEAS and COE; THEA 185: Text and Visual Imagination - Introduction to Eco-design for Scenography; and upper-level design courses for senior projects and thesis work.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

I would like to emphasize that the exploration of scenographic objects in performance—particularly in public and protest contexts—shows how deeply art is woven into our social fabric. By looking closely at these material elements, we can discover new ways of doing or undoing.

[photo coming soon]