Virtual Spaces of Music and Dance.: The TRaMIR Project on Intangible Heritage

Abstract

Since 2021, I have served as the scientific coordinator of the TraMIR (traditional music instruments room) project which aims to create a music room for discovering, learning and interacting with traditional Greek music instruments and dances. The project involves the development of a portable room equipped with a platform where visitors can experience the traditional Greek musical instruments through VR glasses, engage with interactive content to acquire knowledge, and even try their hand at dancing traditional Greek dances using a machine learning system. The Music Room offers visitors a live, dynamic and evolving experience of traditional Greek music and dances departing from static and outdated methods. It serves as a powerful tool for blending culture, education, heritage and tourism. In this paper, I will describe where the Music Room stands as a project on humanities and technology. Furthermore, I will delve into the methodological choices made during the project’s proposal phase, particularly focusing on how I aimed to represent different geographical areas and digitally blend them with current performance practices and spaces. This discussion will shed light on how the digital space of the project has been transformed into a virtual museum of performing arts. Finally, I will add some critical reflections on the incorporation of 3D technology and artificial intelligence in traditional music and dances within this project -a rarity in Greek culture and traditional performing arts. Additionally, I will explore how an anthropological approach has contributed to overcoming social science deficits encountered through the project’s development.