A more social Europe

RA

Enhanced realities.

Duration

months

Start date

February 2024

End date

January 2026

Partner

Budget

199.998,00 €

ERDF Budget

0,00 €

Progress

100%

The project

Project summary

The project "Realtà Aumentate" promotes cross-border tourism between Nova Gorica and Gorica through six bilingual theatrical/multimedia performances on historical events in the Gorica area between the 18th and 21st centuries. The theatrical performances will be broadcast through multi-channel wi-fi headphones, which allow the audience to enjoy the narratives and receive directions collectively as they move along the streets, interacting and performing actions in the public space. Replications are planned in 2025, as well as trainings to ensure the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Objectives

The project “Realtà aumentate / Obogatene resničnosti” aimed to:

Showcase selected sites across the Gorizia-Nova Gorica area by highlighting their historical, cultural, natural, urban and industrial heritage.
Explore new ways of telling the stories of places and their histories through innovative artistic languages and accessible digital technologies.
Engage a broad and diverse audience through immersive, participatory and emotionally engaging experiences while maintaining a rigorous and historically grounded narrative.
Encourage collective and experiential forms of discovery in a territory shaped by the presence of the border, presenting it both as a reminder of a complex past and as a symbol of dialogue, reconciliation and new European perspectives.
Foster collaboration among artists, cultural institutions, local communities and experts through research activities and artistic residencies closely connected to the sites themselves.
Produce six site-specific works set in symbolic locations, the Kromberk Castle, Rafut Park, the Solkan Bridge, the industrial area of Straccis/Piedimonte, the Casa Rossa border crossing and the casinos of Nova Gorica, each representing different historical periods and transformations of the region.
Combine dramaturgy, theatre, dance and digital technologies to offer fresh interpretations of local heritage and strengthen the relationship between audiences, memory and place.

Output

The project created six site-specific performances staged in six symbolic locations across the Gorizia-Nova Gorica cross-border area. Through the integration of performing arts, storytelling and digital technologies, the project experimented with new ways of enhancing the region's historical, cultural, natural and urban heritage.

Each production invited the audience to take part in immersive and participatory experiences, offering fresh perspectives on the places and the memories they hold. Every performance explored a different aspect of this borderland: the memory of the 1682 plague in Gorizia through "Fu un contagio. Relazione sulla peste" by Ucci Ucci; the history and contradictions of Nova Gorica through the urban game "Nova Gorica Cold Case" by Riccardo Tabilio and Stefano Beghi; and the stories surrounding the Casa Rossa border crossing in "Casa rossa / closer from further / più vicino da lontano / bližje od daleč" by Silvia Viviani.

The remaining productions focused on the relationship between landscape, memory and transformation. "Creature di confine. Isonzo" by Andrea Colbacchini and Ruben Vuaran, reinterpreted the Soča/Isonzo landscape through storytelling, photography and listening practices. "EX" by Renato Rinaldi, brought new meaning and visibility to the former cotton mill area in Gorizia, while "Districare un giardino III" by Neja Tomšič, explored the layered history, natural environment and cultural significance of Rafut Park through a site-specific sound walk.

Developed through research-based creative processes carried out in close collaboration with the sites and local communities, the six productions were presented in multiple performances between April and October 2025, attracting a diverse audience that also included students from Nova Gorica.

Overall, the project strengthened awareness and appreciation of the shared cross-border heritage, transforming places marked by complex histories into spaces for encounter, participation and the creation of new shared narratives.