Opened in October 1991, the Laboratory of Image and Sound in Anthropology (LISA) plays an important role in supporting the audiovisual and photographic work of students, faculty, and researchers at the Department of Anthropology (DA) at the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition to serving as a basic research and training center for students, LISA provides infrastructure for the production or research of ethnographic images and sounds, including technical staff and equipment such as editing stations, which can be used in the production of academic work. Another goal of the laboratory is to facilitate meetings among professors and researchers working in different areas of Anthropology.
In partnership with the faculty and students of the Department of Anthropology (DA), the Graduate Program in Social Anthropology at USP, and researchers from other institutions, LISA organizes film screenings, photography exhibitions, extension courses, and academic events. It also establishes partnerships for joint activities and projects with educational, cultural, and memory institutions, as well as government agencies.
Today, LISA is an internationally recognized leading research center that has distinguished itself in research related to the field of Expressive Forms and Knowledge Regimes—such as photography, film, theater, and music—while also valuing, encompassing, and encouraging the production of knowledge on cross-cutting themes in anthropology. It safeguards and carries out documentation and conservation efforts to preserve a rich anthropological collection dating back to the early 20th century. There are approximately 1,970 films addressing themes such as ecology, identity, housing, kinship, politics, racism, religion, ritual, violence, etc.; 24,500 images (including photographs, stickers, and glass plates); 700 hours of audio recordings (cassette tapes, records, CDs, digital files); reference materials such as books, theses, and catalogs.
In addition to its own productions, LISA collects materials donated by collectors, purchased, or exchanged with other research centers. Since 2003, a large part of the collection has been available on the website as a way to democratize access to information produced through specialized research.
The laboratory regularly receives visits from indigenous groups interested in researching records of their ethnic groups to learn about how their ancestors lived, what their rituals were like, and their body paintings and songs. Through this interaction, the collections resonate with their “cultural heirs.”
