Michele Fontana

Michele Fontana's PhD reflects his mixed background, exploring the intersection of the film, theatre and science fields.

I like to explore new directions. New directions that bring together different fields. Fields like theatre, museum, and science. At first glance, these subjects may seem quite distant. But maybe there is a way to link these subjects. For example, one can explore the role of a tour guide inside a science museum. A tour guide can be defined as a performer, as s/he performs for the visitors. And a tour guide works usually (but not always) inside a museum. If that museum is a science museum, the three different subjects (theatre, museum, and science) are now united in one single person: a performer, that works inside a museum, and that speaks about science. The outcome of the exploration of that single person’s role and actions is unknown: no one – apparently – has explored this direction of research before. So it’s like jumping into a pool in the street. Maybe you just get splashed. Maybe you find that there is a secret lake on the other side of the mirroring surface.

My PhD has a creative component (a performance), and it is split between Theatre Studies and Museum Studies. I have a mixed background: I have studied Environmental Science (laurea, UNIMIB, Italy) and Science Communication (MSc, Imperial College, U.K.), while working in theatre and visual art. I have created a travelling museumfor my performance.