To mark the 250th year of the Circus The Female Funambulists Performance reimagines the astonishing and dramatic lives of 19th and 20th century female circus performers at Wirksworth Festival in September Using live theatre, poetry, music and film it will transport the audience into the Big Top to meet characters such as Woman of Steel – Kate Sandwina, Bee Whisperer Patty Astley, Clairvoyant Madame Sosostris and Tiger Trainer Mabel Stark. The work has been created in response to original poems written for the 250th Year of the Circus by Chloe Balcomb. The work which includes poetry, performance, sculpture, installation, film and music is by a group of female artists based in the Peak District, Sheffield and surrounding areas. Thank you to all who supported the work and to those who saw the performances and visited the installation over the weekend. Performances took place on Saturday 8 September at 2-30pm and again at 4pm at Haarlem Mill in Wirksworth. On Sunday 9th, visitors to the Wirksworth Festival were able to view the installation that comprised of artists responses to the theme of women in the circus and contained clothes worn by performers, props and film and soundscape created for the live art performances. Over 350 visitors to the installation were able to engage with the work and discuss the content with the creative team who were present in the space. Feedback from the performances and installation will provide insight to enable us to further develop the work for a Sheffield based performance that is planned for mid December. Please keep visiting this site for updates and announcements as we take the work in to the second phase of its development. Our plans are to expand the piece and introduce new characters based on real circus performers, this will involve the creation of new poems, soundscapes, video and photography, costumes and ideas. We plan to expand the installation to involve more artists through an invitation to create work for the Sheffield sharing. Please contact us on the form provided and we will be back to you as soon we can. Thanks. |
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Event dates:Saturday 8th December, 2018 - 2.30 pm
Saturday 8th September, 2018 - 4.00 pm Ticket Information: Adults: £8.00 Concessions: £6.00 |
Exploring creative depths |
Who are we? |
Using live theatre, poetry, music and film we will transport you into the Big Top to meet Tiger Tamer Mabel Stark, Woman of Steel Kate Sandwina, Clairvoyant Madame Sosostris, Bee Whisperer Patty Astley and more ……
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The Female Funambulists is a collaboration of female artists from diverse disciplines responding to original poetry from Chloe Balcomb
Performances and art installation |