From the collection to the digital stage: creative processes based on the Museu Nacional do Teatro e da Dança collection

This article outlines the process of integrating theoretical and practical research in the performing arts, with a specific focus on costume design. It aims to illustrate instances where creative action is combined with qualitative research. This is achieved through the development of costume designs using digital tools and iconographic data from the historic costume design collection at the Museu Nacional do Teatro e da Dança (MNTD) of Portugal. The practice-based research method involves creating variations of shapes or digital collages on bodies, utilizing the visual and textual documents from the museum's archives, along with technological resources for image editing and artificial intelligence generators for creative composition. The goal is to produce diverse forms from the same original design information, thus generating a range of options for new costume creations. This research experimentation seeks to analyze how identical parameters can yield new results derived from scenic memory data without simply replicating them. The outcomes include the presentation of elements combined into new formal models for the same character or serving as inspiration for another character with a similar symbolic or epic foundation. Furthermore, the research aspires to foster future creative processes that utilize the collections as primary sources. It aims to promote exhibitions that blend these sources with new montages and emphasize the various stages of the creation process. This approach aims to highlight the importance of scene design elements and the overall structure involved in crafting a character's costume, including both formal aspects and associated symbols.