The group’s main focus is topics in the intersection between arts and politics in the two Classical periods of Antiquity and the 18th Century, and develops a research method for what the group refers to as recreations of various objects of research, principally music through performances and metrical translations of poetry and drama, such as those published in the Kanon series, a collaborative effort of NTNU and Gyldendal Norsk Forlag under Thorsen’s supervision.

The sister festivals of S.P.O.R and Barokkfest work as combined laboratories and dissemination platforms for the group. The group includes one Marie Curie Fellow and several PhD candidates and researchers.