We aimed to present and highlight components of the IPCCR digital humanities project “The Triumph of Isabella: An Immersive Experience” at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This includes the animation of the original painting, a documentary of the making of the animation, a documentary on the making of the ship model, and the augmented reality app. The goals were to foster the University’s relationship with the V&A, and provide us, the students, an opportunity to showcase our work at a high-profile institution.
Through this project and experience the three students involved were able to grow the international relationships that Dr. Hildy had made with the V&A on this Triumph of Isabella collaboration. The project allowed us to show the kind of high-quality work that University of Maryland graduate students do, and there was talk of possible collaborations with us in the near future.
We learned how to use international connections to their fullest and how to produce and curate a digital humanities project which blends theatre history, technology, and tourism. We learned about the accessibility of the visual arts for an audience that spoke many different languages –something that gives us historical insight into the power of the Ommegang in 1615 for a multi- national, multi-cultural audience. Christen wrote extensively of her findings in a paper titled“’The Triumph of Isabella:’ Digital Immersion into a Renaissance Mass-Spectacle”, which she presented at ASTR in Fall 2019.
This project proposes an augmented reality experience to enhance the “Triumph of Isabella” exhibition and immersive experience at the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland beginning in June 2018. This project creates animated augmented reality “pop-outs” consisting of animation and theatrical monologues (See below) triggered by scanning select parts of the “Triumph of Isabella” panels with the HP Reveal app on a mobile device.
To build a strong foundation of knowledge for our digital project, we consulted a number of sources for information on the historical context of the 1615 Ommegang in Brussels, and to gain insight on the figures and events portrayed in the paintings. Among these sources were James Laver’s Isabella’s Triumph, which was immensely helpful to us as we honed in on each of the pageant wagons featured in Panel 5, their sponsors, themes, and featured performers. This was necessary to develop key characters and their monologues for the Augmented Reality application.
Once we identified five character profiles, we developed a list of research questions for each character. For instance, for the Body Double (or Actress Playing Isabella) the primary research questions were: who were the women on the court float featuring the actress playing Isabella? What were the prevailing attitudes towards play-acting, particularly for women, during this period in the Spanish Netherlands? What kind of preparations might a lady of the court have taken to prepare for such a role? Likewise, for the Parrot Boy the primary questions were: what were prevailing beliefs concerning the Jesuits during this period in the Spanish Netherlands? What was their relationship to the Spanish crown? Were the “parrots” indeed pigeons? What role did the Jesuits play in the ongoing religious conflict in the Spanish Netherlands?
VOICEOVER MONOLOGUES
DEVIL
Muahahaha! Get back I say! Back away or face the hellfire! Wicked, wicked children! I hear you laugh! What gall you have to laugh in the face of the devils from hades! Back I say! They would do well to listen to me … with horses, camels, and these wagon wheels about children are like to be crushed. Cracking sparks and telling them of the hellmouth works for some, but the others find my devil costume quite funny. We’ll see how much they laugh when they get trampled under the Bayard Horse! Hmph. I bring this on myself – I volunteered to be a devil! No better way to be in the fray of it all, eh? Though it is spooky to think of what they say … about a man playing a devil too well becoming like a devil … You might think me a devil if I tell you I was raised Protestant during the War. But, I have come to the true Church. You might even say crowd control is my penance. (Laughs) Back! Back, I say! And your dog! Wicked children, stray from the hellfire (sparks) or you might burn!
BODY DOUBLE
Oh! I’m terribly sorry; you gave me a fright. I can’t be too careful up here. Playing the Archduchess in the Ommegang is the greatest honor one could imagine, of course. I thought it was exciting enough to join the Court in Brussels as one of her ladies in waiting … But (whispers) not everyone admires the Archduchess as I do. Recently a few Protestant rebels have even tried to assassinate her! Lord forbid I am mistaken for her … Well, not to worry: I’ve been in many a court masque and know how to play my role. I am sure to keep the carriage and dignity befitting Isabella. And it certainly helps that I have her auburn hair and pleasing oval shaped face, don’t you think? (whispers again) Not to mention I am surrounded by the other ladies of the court who must be horribly jealous. I musn’t give them another reason to gossip about me. I would be loathe to lose the Archduchess’s favor. I am her favorite in the masques and dances, you know. The Archduke’s Court at Brussels is the most artistic in all of Europe, they say, and I believe it. I will play well my part … still, one can never be too careful. Do, keep an eye out for suspicious would-be assassins, for me would you?
PARROT BOY
Oh, I do wish I hadn’t agreed to play this part! I feel ridiculous! Dressed as a parrot, sitting in this cage, pretending to teach these birds to speak … oh, well. They’re not really parrots either. They’re just doves we’ve painted to look like parrots. You see, we’re reenacting the myth of King Sapphos and the parrot who taught all the birds to say “Sapphos is God.” Of course, we are taking some artistic liberties. My line is “Squak! Isabella is Queen!” And the crowd cheers. Isabella isn’t really queen, of course. She’s just the Archduchess, but today she’s Queen of the Ommegang. This honor was bestowed on her by the crossbow guild because she shot a poppinjay from the spire on top of the cathedral. She did it in one shot! Ew! Oh, these doves, though, they’ve been defecating on me in this cage all day! I wish I could shoot them with a crossbow. But, the Jesuit school who sponsored this wagon wouldn’t be too happy about that. You see the picture of that man on the red flag? That’s St. Ignatius; he founded the Jesuits. He believed the best way to defeat the Protestants is to be more educated than they are. But, today it’s more about outshining than outsmarting. Squak! Isabella is Queen!
MOTHER & DAUGHTER (V.O. for two voices)
(Guns firing)
DAUGHTER: AH! Mother, I’m frightened.
MOTHER: Quiet, child. These aren’t the guns of war – these are guns of the Ommegang! The military guilds are passing by. Isn’t it exciting?
DAUGHTER: Gunshots make me think of Papa.
MOTHER: She’s been afraid of gunfire since one of her playmates told her men in the war were killed with guns. But, we can’t know that, can we? I only know my husband was killed before the truce six years ago.
DAUGHTER: And Isabella is Queen of the Ommegang. We know that, too.
MOTHER: Yes, that’s right! May the Archduchess and God ensure the truce holds. We are lucky to have such a clear view, aren’t we, my darling?
DAUGHTER: Look, Mother! I can see St. George’s dragon!
MOTHER: Or is that St. Margaret’s dragon?
DAUGHTER: Wow!
MOTHER: We are grateful to be here. Only through the grace of my cousin, whose husband is a wealthy merchant. It is truly a treat to have such a view of the Ommegang.
DAUGHTER: And the hellmouth, Mother! I’m frightened again.
MOTHER: It’s simply another wagon, my darling. (Laughs)
(Their laughter trails off into the soundscape)
You can watch the pop-out animations and voice overs by pointing your camera at Triumph of Isabella Panel 5 where ever in the world. To do so, download HP-Reveal app. Create an Account. Follow qhaeri. And point your camera at the charactors shown above.
May 15, 1615, Isabella Clara Eugenia shoots the pop-in-jay before the members of the Crossbowmen’s Guild at the ceremony of the Grand Oath, in the Great Sablon market square of upper Brussels.
For this achievement she was made honorary Queen of the May 31 Ommegang.
Seventeenth- century copy of Van Alsloot’s original by Antoon Sallaert, The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels.
Panel 1.
“Parade of the Crafts Guilds on the Grand Place,” Museo Nacionel del Prado in Madrid.
Parade is on the City Hall side of the Grand Place in Brussels, moving away from the viewer.
The snapshot of the festival showing the craft guilds marching past the Town Hall and exiting the Grand Place onto the Rue de la Tete d’orwhere the figures from panel 4 had originally entered. Some seem to be exiting at Rue des Chapellers to the far left of the Town Hall.
Panel 2a and 2b.
“Parade of the Armed Guilds” (sometimes “Parade of the Senior Guilds”) Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
Original Van Alsloot painting, cut in two in the 19th century. The parade is now marching in front of the Kings House, (City Museum) on the opposite side of the Grand Place from the background shown in panel 1. Beginning of parade section is in left foreground.
This section of the parade seems to have entered from the upper right, at Rue de la Colline. This would be the opposite corner from where the previous group entered.
Panel 2c.
“Parade of the Armed Guilds” The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels.
Van Alsloots original paintings were sent to Spain. Antoon Sallaert, who seems to have been one of the studio artists who worked for Van Alsloot on the eight original paintings, was commissioned to make copies to remain in Brussels. This 17th century copy is not an exact duplicate as some figures, like that of St. Christopher (large figure in yellow in upper left), have been more clearly defined. But it does show what is missing, like the hell mouth in the upper right, from the cut down original now in the V&A.
Panel 3.
[NO IMAGE]
No copy is known to exist; apparently depicted the Archduchess and Archduke Albert attending the event.
Panel 4.
Private Collection
This snapshot showing the folklore portion of the parade as it passes the north side of the Town Hall 0n the Rue de la Tete d’or moving onto the Grand Place shown on the far left.
Panel 5.
Victoria & Albert Museum, London
Parade is moving towards the viewer.
This snapshot of the parade as it travels from the Great Sablon market, past the Manneken Pis fountain, onward towards the Grand Place. The tower in the upper left is the City Hall tower.
Image shows the Rue du Chene (right) which becomes the Rue des Grands Carmes (left) as it crosses the intersection with the Rue l’Etuve where the Mannenken Pis is located. To create this image nearly two city blocks of buildings on the south side of the street have been artistically removed. One block to the left the parade turns right onto the Rue de Midi, then takes a slight right onto Rue du Marche au Charbon which turns into the Rue de la Tete d’or.
Panel 6.
Museo Nacionel del Prado, Madrid.
The parade is in the Grand Sablon, moving away from the viewer.
The famous stature of the Virgin Mary was marched out of the church into the Great Sablon market square on its way to the Grand Place in central Brussels.
Route: down Rollbeek street, right on the Bd de l’ Emperor street through the Steenpoort gate of the inner fortification wall (Neer the Anneessens Tower ), left onto L’Escalier Trap then slight left onto Rue du Chene towards the Mannenken Pis.
Panel Z.
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels
The Feast at the Vivier d’Oye lake (south of Brussels in the Soignies Forest), in the presence of the Archduchess and Archduke Albert.
