An ontology for Italian theatrical cultural heritage on wikibase.cloud
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Keywords: IFLA LRM, Theatrical productions, Theatrical works, Digital objects, Bottom-up ontology, Cultural heritage, Digitalization, Wikibase data model, Performing arts
TL;DR: The work on the Hyperstage research project to build an ontology aimed at Italian theatrical cultural heritage using wikibase.cloud
Abstract: The aim of the Hyperstage project is to create an Open Knowledge Base for the semantic reconstruction of theatrical productions through the harvesting and processing resources from the New Italian Network of theatrical digital archives, supported by the Ministry of University and funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU. If we want to build services ‘semantic web’ aware, a domain specific ontology is needed. One useful starting point for identifying existing initiatives is undoubtedly the work done by Wikidata:WikiProject Performing arts group. Taking into account that the theatrical domain lacks a single, universally adopted ontology we decided to develop a bottom-up ontology. We decided to start with a ready-to-use technological solution, namely Wikibase.cloud. In this context, Wikibase emerges as one of the most suitable platforms due to its data model. This model allows for the enrichment of RDF statements with qualifiers, which is particularly valuable for capturing the complexities of theatrical productions.
According to a recent survey of real databases documenting theater performances, most data models rely on distinction between theatrical creative work and theatrical production claiming also the need to adapt bibliographic models (namely IFLA LRM) to the specific domain of theatrical performances. It is important to note that theatrical creative work, as an intellectual construct, is an abstraction that facilitates the reference to a common identity beyond specific theatrical productions. Consequently, leveraging on this distinction each theatrical production, while unique, will be placed within a broader historical and cultural context through a system of hierarchical relationships highlighting its connections to theatrical tradition. This ontological hierarchy will allow us to trace the evolutionary path of works and identify influences and connections between different productions.
The Hyperstage project also aims to overcome the traditional limitations of theatrical documentation, offering an innovative solution for the collection, organization, and valorization of metadata related to theatrical productions. Archiving performative assets is considered a daunting task, given the ephemeral nature of theatrical events. However, digital technologies offer new perspectives to preserve and give value to intangible cultural heritage. Hyperstage aims to enhance the value of Italy's performing arts cultural heritage by facilitating access to and interoperability of a vast corpus of digital resources associated with each theatrical production. During ontology development, we investigated different methods for linking digital resources to theatrical productions. A key objective is ensuring efficient user access to these resources. We explored three approaches, using string property or element property each with its own limitations and potentials.
To facilitate user access to digital objects, the Hyperstage ontology utilizes a PKB taxonomy. This taxonomy categorizes digital objects by specific types and assigns them to one of three phases of theatrical production: a) conception, b) staging, and c) post-production documentation. The PKB code streamlines the organization of digital assets related to theatrical production. By automatically aggregating each digital object into one of these three phases, the code addresses challenges posed by the sheer volume and diverse nature of digital resources. This logical temporal classification simplifies the management of large datasets and unifies heterogeneous documents starting from two broad categories: "pictures" and "attachments".
Format: Paper (20 minutes presentation)
Submission Number: 39
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