Acknowledgement of Country

Overview

Big Village – Digital is a curated conversation, a manifesto for action for the future,  supporting the development of global majority contemporary circus in the UK and Australia.

Through a series of short films and public online conversations, Big Village – Digital will profile and celebrate the work of artists and companies outside of the unspoken cultural values that prioritise the canon of ‘literary theatre’ and historically the work of white writers. Big Village – Digital will collaborate with makers who are not only bringing new stories to our creative spaces, but are also pioneering new modes of articulation and expression, using populist art forms like circus and cabaret to create performances led by the body that challenge colonial and class-based notions of art.

9 March 2022 – Live Stream Launch

Vicki Dela Amedume and Natano Faanana will introduce the project and show some short 1 minute clips from the 6 films and talk about the companies and their work

There will then be a 10 min Q&A with the online audience.

About the artist

“Circus creates a democratic space to explore the extraordinary qualities that bind not divide us.” Vicki Amedume, Artistic Director

Upswing is an award-winning UK-based, contemporary circus company, which uses the human body as an expressive tool to entertain, inspire curiosity and ignite a desire to build connection. Upswing tells new stories in extraordinary ways – amplifying and celebrating the skills, creative talents and stories of diverse artists and communities. Difference and diversity is at the heart of its practice. Its creation process brings people together in movement, with ideas developing from the collision of different life experiences.

In addition to theatres and festivals, Upswing brings extraordinary experiences to places where people, who might not go to the theatre may go instead – a digital trail through inner-city streets, a circus takeover in a care home, a large-scale spectacle on a rooftop, or a bedtime story for families in libraries. It creates memorable, unexpected experiences for audiences.