The Arkwork Circus is a celebratory, distinctively African street performance inspired by giant street puppet theatre, traditional African puppetry/ masquerade and circus craft.
The Arkwork Circus is a celebratory, distinctively African street performance inspired by giant street puppet theatre, traditional African puppetry/ masquerade and circus craft.
Drawing on the potential of youth based collaboratives in Grahamstown, the show reveals how an entire circus can miraculously emerge out of what appears to be trash as the puppets, costumes and tents are constructed mainly from recycled materials.
The performance emerged from a process which used various artistic genres as a way to negotiate the various problems faced by youth at risk in Grahamstown, who make up the cast of performers.
The Arkwork Circus feeds into a doctoral study within the Environmental Education and Sustainability Unit
at Rhodes University.
Funded by the National Arts Festival and the Transnet foundation, The Arkwork Circus is facilitated by the Arkwork Collective, a registered non-profit organisation with affiliation to the Environmental Education and Sustainability Unit at Rhodes University.
The name ‘Arkwork’ plays with the words ‘art’ and ‘ark’ cryptically implying our use of art-based processes that prepare communities for an uncertain future.
The collaboration draws from an interest in creating holistic artistic experiences with marginalised communities and facilitates the process of turning lost space into empowered place.
As an organisation it uses arts-based intervention as a form of social justice, catharsis, education and personal empowerment.
A street based enviro/ edu traditional Banraku puppet performance was performed for 10 days at the 2009 National Arts Festival through Festival funding.
The Quagga and the Unicorn was a touching ecological fable created by young informal waste collectors, using Japanese Bunraku styled puppets made entirely of recycled plastic waste.
Bhuti, the bokkie and the Christmas Beetle was an ecologically inspired South African Christmas pantomime performed by Ubom!
Eastern Cape Theatre Company in November 2009 in Grahamstown. The set, puppets, props, masks and costumes were made from recycled materials.
More info from www.arkwork. yolasite.com You can catch free performances of the Arkwork Circus at the following times and venues: 24 June, Village Green: 12.30pm 26 June, Church Square: 12.30pm 27 June, Village Green: 12pm 27 June Fiddlers Green: 3pm 2 July, Settlers Monument:4pm 4 July, Closing parade (starts at Drostdy Arch): 4pm
