Under the name Aguablanda, during the years 2019 and 2020, El Graner provided space for a research and development program focused on current management projects in Performing Arts. During its first year, Aguablanda hosted Matías Daporta, who conducted an in-depth study on the digital management processes in live arts. This study mapped out the various platforms that facilitate the work of artists and cultural agents (institutions, creation centers, art spaces, managers, etc.). As a result of this study, a design process for a pilot management platform was initiated, adopting the name ARGÉS. For its development, Matías identified that the platforms could be organized into three categories: tools and portals for production (residency calls, space management, funding search), for distribution (distribution networks, programmer contacts, festival and performance schedules), and for archiving (video portals, journals with studies and reviews of pieces, catalogs) of the performing arts.
Thus, the present study is developed based on the research initiated by Daporta, deepening the understanding of the application processes and tools currently used by live arts institutions. Thanks to funds granted by ICUB, this second stage of Aguablanda can be carried out, starting in December 2020 and extending until March 2021, with Juan Pablo Campistrous joining as co-researcher and project collaborator. In this way, the study is proposed as a continuation of the first investigation, focusing on the application processes for artistic residencies currently undertaken in the field of live arts in the Catalonian region.