The Ephemeral Materialities of the Performing Arts: The Chilean-Costa Rican Case in the Huellas del exilio Collection by Proyecto Arde and LaMAE

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to analyze the theater posters and playbills that form part of Huellas del exilio collection, housed within the digital archives of Proyecto Arde in collaboration with LaMAE, and produced during the Chilean exile in Costa Rica. To this end, this study approaches these materials through the documentary typology of ephemera, investigating core axes related to: their participation within print culture, their modes of circulation and deployment across subjects and surfaces for public display, the forms of reading they elicit and their materiality. These characteristics are essential for examining the aesthetic, political and physical conditions in which these documents are inscribed. Furthermore, they visualize the strategies implemented by Chilean agents to adapt to Costa Rica’s cultural landscape, given their status as exiles. Ultimately, this proposed analytical perspective situates these elements within the post-custodial archival paradigm as valuable sources of knowledge that, on the one hand, evidence the collaboration between two distinct archives and, on the other, recover theatrical practices that are highly relevant for heritage and archival access in Chile and Latin America.