Traditionaal Circus too Modern acts Jessica

Escapism through entertainment has always been a pleasure, fancy dress as a kid to horror films. Are fascination with the mysterious and unknown has always drawn us in. With stage shows, glamour and overindulgent acts grabbing the viewers attention. From old travelling circus in the 1920s, street performance, Circus Du Soleil even to lady gaga. Are focus is to draw inspiration from all of these aspects to create an performance styled piece. Taking elements of extravagance, perversion and fun.
The Circus developed in Ancient Rome where it was a building for entertainment such as fake battles, chariot racing and exhibition of animals. This was lost and then later seen in travelling Gypsies shows in Europe. It then remerged as a massive form in entertainment as early as 1700 and set up stage for aerobatics, animal shows and clown's to fill time. The atmosphere of the circus can been seen in many forms of song, film and fashion and this is what we want to capture. Characters such as clowns, the ringmaster, Gypsies and even the animals have a sense of mystery, fun and allure.
In this image of 1920s sparks Circus I really love the eye catching over the top headpieces, exotic clothes mixed in with a shabby background. The clothes are heavily embellished and showy. Not much different from stage outfits now . The symmetric shape of the pose, how it's composed and the sepia tones reflect the era of the photo. It brings a eerie atmosphere which we could draw on by using effects once the photo shoot is complete.

Photos of typical clowns with overtop clothes make-up and mixed up patterns. The dramatic costuming and emphases on exaggerated features of clowns deliberately makes them look odd and stand out so they can be laughed at and used for entertainment. This dark aspect of standing out of the crowd/ freak show is another aspect we want to explore. Shocking and dramatic.

CIRCUS DU SOLEIL

With now a reinvention trend of the Circus ........... Circus Du Soleil formed in 1984 and was a frame for contemporary Circus. They focused on "a dramatic mix of circus arts with street entertainment".
Using traditional costume and characters but pushing this theatrical approach and not using animals made it one of the first in contemporary circus. The amazing mix of performance and costumes is definitely an area to take inspiration from and the idea of pushing circus values into a contemporary setting.
Other influneces are street poi and other street performance acts. The use of light, props and energy and how they engage an audience from punch and judy to fire spinning. There is always a spectacle it has been developed and pushed in modern society but still has strong traditional roots.