On international women’s day we are happy to announce that M.P.A.C will be our resident company at Karavan in October 2019.
The international reference group (Subtopia (SE), Riga Circus, (LV) Brazil Jack (SE), Arts Printing House (LT) and Dynamo Workspace (DK) has looked over applications and we are excited to share the news with you.
Reading over the applications it was so clear how many brilliant projects are bubbling and so we asked the other artists if we could share what they are working on, to shine a light on all the brilliance in the making, but also because perhaps this enables some more collaborations and cooperation to take place. You can read about the other excellent projects below.
About M.P.A.C. and their new project: Bara Bara Bröst (working title)
M.P.A.C. creates original works of performing arts through devising steeped in a standard critical and feminist approach. We founded our collective in 2015 with our first premiere HAIRY TALES in 2016. Touring with that show since then and continuously. Their main artistic expression is clown. To us, the clown is by nature anarchic, acts as a kind of a social conscience and exists in contact with the audience. We are intrigued to create a clown for today, that speaks to the people of today, a clown that shakes and rocks and storms and comforts. Giving relief and insight in the human condition.Giving a platform to meet strangers and playfully connect. M.P.A.C. are Karin Svensson, Jenny Soddu, Kajsa Englund and Camilla Rud. We use the power of performing arts to make the world a greater and funnier place to be.
M.P.A.C. will start the devising process of our new full length performance Bara bara bröst (working title). With a starting point in clown, marinated in feminist circus view, in the tension between shame and virtuous potential we will give our take on breasts. What do the breasts tell us about the current situation of the collective human soul? Who is allowed to show the provocative nipple on the beach, in social media, on stage? Breasts are too big, too small, too sloppy, too sexy, too female, too male, too heavy, too flat, are you breastfeeding here?! Breasts are too big, too small, too sloppy, too sexy, too female, too male, too heavy, too flat, are you breastfeeding here?! Breasts are hidden, missing and mourned. Breasts, loved mix of fat, connective tissue and glands. Breasts is a gold mine for 4 clowns with circus groove. We fight to strengthen and broaden the perception of clown, circus and women in stage art. We fight for the clowns space in circus. We challenge norms around how bodies are presented, performed and taken space in front of an audience.
Other projects bubbling in the Nordic, Baltic region…..
Milla Kurronen and Hanna Moisala are two finnish tightwire artists who started their collaboration during the creation of the show “Wigsby” in 2018. Now they are developing their new 30 minutes outdoor show. A spin-off story of a iconic movie Thelma & Louise and the piece goes by the working name of “Vagabond”. Short description: In this pitch stop of feminine vigour, Thelma & Louise continue their journey to dusty Sky Valley, California. Two fierce fugitives with no hesitation keep fighting for their freedom not merely to survive, but thrive. Hear the purring of the motor, the duo as a burning fuel for this desert rock story.
Anna Emilie, Luna and Signild are three female static trapeze artists they are developing a show created over several residencies across Scandinavia between summer 2019 and spring 2020. The premiere will take place in Aarhus in spring 2020. The finished version of the show will be 45 mins and a tribute to beauty, poetry and hysteria. ”The beginning point for our research is to create an abstract universe for wicked personalities full of whimsical surprises. We want to examine the different stages of the maligned hysteria and ask ourselves: “is it really that bad to go bonkers? Is it possible to completely let go of the control and still hold on to the trapeze.
Kallo Collective is an award-winning ever-expanding physical theatre and contemporary circus company focused on non-verbal tour-ready productions with comedy at their core. Kallo Collective are currently developing Only Bones 1.3. a solo piece performed by Jenni Kallo with help of Thom Monckton as an outside eye and accompanied with composer Maximillian Latva who’s on stage with Kallo and playing live music. Only Bones concept: A solo performance series of minimalist physical theatre by various artists using restrictive parameters to create the production: Only one light, no text, only 1x1m playing space, and as little props and set as possible. The premier of O.B.1.3. will be in NouNous festival (Helsinki) in 3rd December 2019
The Handstand Forest is about transmuting a solo focus into a group dynamic within the discipline hand-balancing. The forest serves as a natural metaphor for the physical exploration as it grows from an intense symbiosis. Creating trees with bodies that tangle together to form new perspectives on hand-balancing. They experiment with the absurdities of the upside down with imagery and movement to pull the audience into a world where the rules of normal are inverted. The 6 artists involved has already had a strong impact on how the contemporary scene of hand-balancing has developed and with that technical level and artistic expression the limits for play and exploration are endless. A big part of the research is how different bodies adapt to the challenges of hand-balancing. To break away from the traditional aesthetics and roles within circus and display how gender has very little impact on the ability of balance. The traditional handstand acts would often focus on strength with men and flexibility with women. The Handstand Forest will blur these lines and although beauty and skill inevitably will be shown, so will other levels of personality, virtuosity and humour. Making hand-balancing more than just a spectacle and instead an art and pathway for expression. Think of it as an inverted dance piece. Contact: Handstandforest@gmail.com
Below Zero began as a physical manifestation of the need for something different in the Scandinavian circus scene. In 2018 just as autumn turned into winter the company had gone from vague ideas to three projects in the upstart. The company’s name is inspired by the circus artists ability to look weightless in their actions, flying almost like falling snowflakes time can seem to be frozen and weight non-existing. One can not overlook that the company is Scandinavian made, and the name also refers to the fact that almost seven months a year the temperature is literally below zero. The company consists of Sara Runsten, Axel Ahl, Lukas Ivanow and Klara Sköldulf Philipp. The hand to hand duo Sara Runsten and Axel Ahl has a long experience as circus artists and has until now been a part of many touring shows in Sweden. Their main focus as a duo is to create movements and physical qualities that are not only original and new on the local scene but also on the global. Klara is a balance artist who been active in the Swedish circus scene for many years. She combines balancing on her tight wire with flowy moving. Lukas is an acknowledged and award winning teeterboard artist who loves jumping on anything and anyone.
Sisus is a circus company based in Finland, founded by five women in 2014, although the roots of the company have been growing much longer. The idea started to grow back in 2003 when the members of Sisus met each other in the youth circus. In there they became a tight group of friends, growing up together, unified by a great sense of humor. The new indoor show of Sisus ‘Plusplus’ is a contemporary circus piece about abortion. The concept of the show is based on a real life experience of the two artists, Inka Pehkonen and Iida Sipilä who decided to bring this sensitive subject on stage. The idea started to grow in the summer 2018 when they decided that it was about a time to do something different, be brave and bold women in circus and open the discussion of abortion. It still seems to be a taboo at least on a personal level. Even though abortion is quite a heavy subject, for the artistic team is very important that the show won’t be too heavy. It’s a very political subject but contemporary circus has a possibility to raise questions and talk about these kinds of subjects through the language of circus. At the moment, the team is looking for sound and light designers to join the group.
There might be more projects coming to be listed here so check back soon! And a big thank you to the reference group taking their time to help us with this process.
Very best from Karavan and BNCN teams!
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