Today sees the launch of the (beta of the) Circus Oz Living Archive, a collaborative project between Circus Oz, the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and several other partners to digitise and sort Oz's huge store of archival video.
Beyond its documentary function, part of the site's goal is to experiment with the ways live performance can extend its reach online, as well as the ways digital media can create new kinds of interaction between performing arts companies and their audiences. The site therefore invites Circus Oz artists and affiliates, audience members past and present, and circus newcomers to browse through the archives, curate collections of video, and add their own thoughts and memories.
As an ARC Linkage project, the Living Archive was awarded a grant of $347,000 over a period of four years, and will run until December 2013 (though the Archive will remain online and active after).