Digital Archive & Research Platform for Music Theater Mobility Studies
M³GIM (Mapping Mobile Musicians - Mobilität und Musiktheaterwissen im Graz der Nachkriegszeit am Beispiel der Sängerin Ira Malaniuk) is a digital humanities research project investigating transnational knowledge transfer in postwar music theater (1945-1969) through the lens of Ukrainian-Austrian mezzo-soprano Ira Malaniuk (1919-2009).
Project Team:
- Project Lead: Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Nicole K. Strohmann (KUG Graz)
- Technical Implementation: Dr. Christopher Pollin (Digital Humanities Craft OG)
Duration: 01.01.2026 – 31.12.2026 (Phase 1: Feasibility Study for FWF Follow-up Project)
Live Catalog: https://chpollin.github.io/malaniuk/
The Ira Malaniuk Estate (Universitätsarchiv der KUG Graz, Signatur: UAKUG/NIM) comprises:
- 182 archival records in 17 archive boxes
- Time span: 1924-1998 (focus: 1945-1969, Malaniuk's formative Graz period)
- Content types: Autobiographical texts, activity lists, programs, repertoire registers, contracts, press clippings, correspondence, photographs
- Languages: German, Ukrainian, Italian, French, English
The project investigates four central research questions:
- Urban Culture: How did singers shape Graz's music and theater culture? What role did mobility play in professionalization and networking?
- Genre Transformation: How did migration influence narrative and aesthetic structures in postwar opera?
- Knowledge Transfer: How was ephemeral music theater knowledge transferred through mobility and adapted in new contexts?
- Mobility Forms: Which specific forms of mobility can be identified in Malaniuk's career, and how did these influence knowledge production?
Central Hypothesis: Mobility of singers was not only a prerequisite for careers, but a catalyst for new knowledge cultures and aesthetic paradigms in music theater.
- ✅ 182 digitally cataloged archival records
- ✅ Interactive web catalog (search, filter, export)
- ✅ Multilingual support (German, Ukrainian, Italian, French)
- ✅ Data export (CSV, JSON for research)
- ✅ Statistics dashboard (visual analysis)
- ✅ Offline-capable (embedded data, no server required)
- ✅ Responsive design (works on mobile devices)
- 🔄 Network visualization (person-institution connections)
- 🔄 Geographic mapping (mobility patterns)
- 🔄 Timeline visualization (career phases)
- 🔄 Linked Open Data (GND, GeoNames integration)
- 🔄 Digital scans (archival materials)
- 🔄 JSON-LD export (RiC-compliant)
- Browse the catalog: Visit live catalog
- Search: Use keyword search or advanced filters (person, place, date, document type)
- Export data: Download as CSV or JSON for analysis in Excel, R, Python
- Cite: See Citation section below
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/chpollin/malaniuk.git
cd malaniuk
# Install dependencies
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
# View catalog locally
python -m http.server 8000
# Open http://localhost:8000/docs/Documentation: See knowledge/INDEX.md for complete technical documentation.
m3gim/
├── docs/ # GitHub Pages (public web catalog)
│ ├── index.html # Interactive catalog (embedded data)
│ └── assets/ # Web assets (CSS, JS, images)
│ └── styles.css # Custom styles
├── knowledge/ # Documentation (internal)
│ ├── INDEX.md # Documentation hub (START HERE)
│ ├── research.md # Research context & questions
│ ├── data.md # Data model specification
│ ├── requirements.md # Feature requirements & user stories
│ └── architecture.md # Technical architecture
├── preprocessing/ # Data processing pipeline & scripts
│ ├── README.md # Pipeline documentation
│ ├── archive_data.json # Original data (182 records)
│ ├── archive_data_enhanced.json # Processed/enhanced data
│ └── *.py # Python processing scripts
├── data/ # Source data & vocabularies
│ └── vocabularies/ # Controlled vocabularies (JSON)
├── scripts/ # Utility scripts
├── templates/ # HTML templates
├── tests/ # Automated tests
├── .gitignore # Git ignore rules
└── README.md # This file
This catalog is designed for researchers, historians, and cultural heritage professionals studying:
- Ukrainian opera and musical history - Malaniuk's contributions to preserving Ukrainian cultural identity
- 20th century European cultural history - Postwar reconstruction and mobility
- Gender studies - Female agency in male-dominated opera world
- Mobility studies - Forced migration, professional mobility, knowledge transfer
- Digital humanities - Archival data modeling, network analysis, cultural mapping
- Biographical research - First comprehensive digital catalog of Ira Malaniuk materials
When citing this digital archive in research or publications:
M³GIM: Mapping Mobile Musicians - Mobilität und Musiktheaterwissen
im Graz der Nachkriegszeit am Beispiel der Sängerin Ira Malaniuk (2024-2026).
Kunstuniversität Graz. https://chpollin.github.io/malaniuk/
When citing specific archival materials:
Ira Malaniuk Estate, [Archivsignatur, e.g. UAKUG/NIM_001],
[Title of document], Universitätsarchiv der Kunstuniversität Graz (UAKUG/NIM),
accessed [date] via https://chpollin.github.io/malaniuk/
@misc{m3gim2024,
title = {M³GIM: Mapping Mobile Musicians - Mobilität und Musiktheaterwissen im Graz der Nachkriegszeit},
author = {Strohmann, Nicole K. and Pollin, Christopher},
year = {2024-2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://chpollin.github.io/malaniuk/}},
institution = {Kunstuniversität Graz},
note = {Digital archive of the Ira Malaniuk Estate (UAKUG/NIM)}
}Stack: Simple, sustainable, open-source
- Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+), Bootstrap 5, Chart.js, D3.js, Leaflet.js
- Backend: Python 3.11+ (data processing)
- Data: JSON-LD (RiC-compliant), controlled vocabularies
- Hosting: GitHub Pages (static site, free, stable)
- CI/CD: GitHub Actions (automated pipeline from Google Sheets)
Design Principles:
- Offline-first: Embedded data, works without internet
- No dependencies: No server, no database, no API calls
- Long-term sustainability: Static site, open standards
- Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 AA compliant
- Open Source: MIT License (code) + CC BY 4.0 (data)
Documentation: See knowledge/architecture.md for technical details.
We welcome contributions from the research community:
- Data corrections: Identify errors or missing information
- Entity enrichment: Help link persons to authority files (GND, VIAF)
- Documentation: Improve clarity, fix typos, add examples
- Code: Submit pull requests for bug fixes or features
How to contribute:
- Check GitHub Issues for open tasks
- Fork the repository
- Make your changes in a feature branch
- Submit a pull request with clear description
Questions? Contact the project team (see below).
Project Lead:
- Univ.-Prof.in Dr.in Nicole K. Strohmann
- Kunstuniversität Graz, Institut für Musikwissenschaft
- Email: [email protected]
Technical Lead:
- Dr. Christopher Pollin
- Digital Humanities Craft OG
- Email: [email protected]
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/chpollin/malaniuk Issues & Support: https://github.com/chpollin/malaniuk/issues
Dual License:
- Code (Python scripts, JavaScript): MIT License (open source, commercially usable)
- Data (archival records, documentation): CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution)
See LICENSE file for full terms.
Note: Original archival materials (photographs, letters, documents) remain subject to their original copyright holders. This license applies to digital representations and metadata.
Funded by:
- Kunstuniversität Graz (2026-2027, Phase 1)
- Future: FWF (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung), Phase 2
Archive Partner:
- Universitätsarchiv der Kunstuniversität Graz
Technology Stack:
- Bootstrap 5 - UI framework (MIT License)
- Chart.js - Statistics charts (MIT License)
- D3.js - Network visualizations (ISC License)
- Leaflet.js - Interactive maps (BSD 2-Clause)
- Font Awesome - Icons (Font Awesome Free License)
Standards & Ontologies:
- Records in Contexts (RiC) - Archival description standard
- JSON-LD - Linked data format
- GND - Authority control (persons)
- GeoNames - Geographic data
- Q4 2025: Project documentation & data model design ✅
- Q1 2026: Structured data entry (182 records)
- Q1 2026: Web catalog prototype with search & filter
- Q2 2026: Network & geographic visualizations
- Q2 2026: Digital scans integration (partial)
- Q3 2026: JSON-LD export (RiC-compliant)
- Q4 2026: Open Access publication
- Q1 2027: Public launch & user testing
- Extended network analysis & cultural mapping
- Comparative study: singers at European cultural centers
- International research data networking
- SPARQL endpoint & Linked Open Data
- Crowdsourcing platform for community contributions
- 182 archival records cataloged
- 17 physical archive boxes
- 50+ years of career documentation (1924-1998)
- 4 languages represented in materials
- 100% open access & free to use
Status: 🚧 Prototype Phase (Documentation Complete, Implementation In Progress)
Last Updated: 2025-10-23