No. 27 (2025): OpenASRI. Misceláneous Journal

This issue of ASRI brings together a selection of research articles that, from diverse perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches, reflect on the transformations of art, visual culture, and gender studies in the digital era and within specific historical and territorial contexts. The contributions presented here demonstrate how technology, memory, identity, and social dynamics continue to shape contemporary artistic and communicative processes, expanding the boundaries of creative practice and critical thought.

The opening article examines the profound transformation of the body in contemporary performing arts resulting from the emergence of digital technologies. It analyzes new forms of performativity that arise from the interaction between performers and technological environments, as well as key concepts such as techno-presence and posthumanist performance. Through emblematic cases—from automated stage productions to immersive virtual reality experiences—it discusses how these innovations expand the relationship between the physical and the virtual, reshaping dramaturgy and the audience’s experience.

Continuing this line of reflection, another contribution focuses on the notion of the spectacular in contemporary art, particularly in light of the rapid development of AI-generated imagery. The study identifies three core characteristics of such performative practices: the use of large-scale immersive formats, the deliberate pursuit of visibility and attention, and the deployment of excessive and repetitive visual forms. This analysis invites readers to consider how technological spectacularity is redefining modes of perception and audience engagement.

The impact of algorithmic systems on contemporary visual culture is explored in another article that introduces the concept of the “algorithmic styleme.” From a semiotic and transdisciplinary perspective, the study examines how audiovisual platforms—exemplified by Netflix—not only respond to consumption patterns but actively shape them, influencing aesthetic decisions and configuring cultural production and reception dynamics within the framework of digital capitalism and the attention economy.

The history and evolution of teaching tools for artistic anatomy is the focus of another contribution. This historical overview, spanning from classical Greece to the current digital age, analyzes key milestones such as the transition from classical ideals to individualized representations in Roman times, the use of cadavers in Renaissance universities, the incorporation of photography to understand bodily movement, and the development of three-dimensional digital models. The study offers a historical and pedagogical perspective on the construction of anatomical knowledge in Western culture.

Graphic heritage and visual communication are addressed through a study of popular lettering and signage in Latacunga, Ecuador. Using a qualitative and descriptive approach, the article analyzes the visual, symbolic, and contextual characteristics of traditional signage, emphasizing its role as an identity marker and heritage element within an urban environment challenged by the pressures of the digital era.

From a gender studies perspective, another article analyzes the representation of female protagonists in the television series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Through textual and phenomenological analysis, it examines the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of the characters, assessing their alignment with feminist principles and the persistence of sexist stereotypes. The findings conclude that the series offers a critical reinterpretation of the 1950s, depicting women who challenge patriarchy through artistic and professional independence.

The relationship between art, territory, and social transformation is the subject of an ethnographic study on painting practices in the indigenous Andean communities of Tigua, Ecuador. Since the late 20th century, this artistic practice has become both an economic and symbolic resource, reshaping community relations, social hierarchies, and local development dynamics, demonstrating the power of art to foster visibility and reorganization in post-agrarian rural contexts.

Andean biodiversity and its potential to inspire artistic creation and design are examined in an article on the flora of Chimborazo. The study identifies unique patterns, textures, and colors in local plant species that, when deconstructed, generate sustainable aesthetic solutions integrating cultural identity and natural heritage.

Finally, the memory embedded in the materiality of images is analyzed through a dialogue between conservation-restoration practices and contemporary artistic approaches based on photographic archives. The article highlights how artists and conservators converge in reclaiming the traces of time and constructing counter-hegemonic narratives that enrich the historical and aesthetic understanding of photography.

Collectively, these studies broaden current debates on art, technology, gender, heritage, and memory, offering critical perspectives that help us understand cultural processes in constant transformation. This issue of ASRI thus reaffirms its commitment to interdisciplinary research and the dissemination of innovative approaches that engage with contemporary challenges in the arts and digital humanities.

Editors: Tomás Zarza Núñez & Miguel Sánchez-Moñita