AusStage

The AusStage live performance database with Flinders University College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) team members Professor Chris Hay, Liz Larkin, Dr Benjamin Laird, Associate Professor Tully Barnett and Dr Christopher Hurrell will join a major research infrastructure initiative aimed at bringing together data on Australia’s rich cultural history and making it more accessible to researchers, policymakers, arts organisations and artists. The Australian Creative Histories and Futures project (ACHF) provides a $2.9 million investment over four years for AusStage to join others from across Australia to create a national data infrastructure for Australia’s creative history. This is supported by the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) through its HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons, enabled by the Australian Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), and boosted by co-investment from the project partners, bringing the total investment to $5.8 million.

Led by UNSW, with partners Creative Australia, Design and Art Australia Online (DAAO) and ACMI, the ACHF project will examine cultural data across several arts disciplines including the performing arts and visual arts, with ACMI contributing their in-depth knowledge of screen culture and advanced expertise in technology, as well as a unique Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAM) sector perspective.

Professor Chris Hay, AusStage Academic Lead and Director of Assemblage Centre for Creative Practice Research, says “this extraordinary investment from the ARDC represents a generational opportunity to secure Australia’s cultural data infrastructure. This project will ensure that Australian cultural data is networked and harmonised in ways that reflect creative practice.”

Flinders University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Enterprise and Infrastructure) Dr Fabiana Santana says it’s inspiring to see Flinders’ long-term commitment to AusStage thriving. “This project highlights the vital role of national research infrastructure in preserving our cultural history and supporting the creative arts. We thank ARDC and our partners and are incredibly proud of Professor Chris Hay and the AusStage team.”