Sweating the archive : virtual translations of embodied knowledge in performance training

This thesis explores the intersections of performance, XR technologies, and archival practices, specifically examining how embodied knowledge can be documented, translated, and transmitted within virtual environments. Rooted in theatre laboratory traditions and contemporary digital methodologies, these writings aim to reimagine the underlying power structures that traverse conventional archival models by proposing processual, intra-active, and affective approaches to the very praxis of archiving. I approach this study from both a theoretical and practical standpoint, drawing from personal and collective artistic experiences and interdisciplinary collaborations. I investigate how emerging technologies- such as motion capture, virtual reality (VR), and algorithmic systems- can be disrupted, reimagined and transformed as tools for archiving not only the visible aspects of performance productions but also the affective, kinetic, and relational dimensions of training. Beyond this, the thesis interrogates the ways in which archival practices shape- and are shaped by- the epistemologies they embody.