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Gildas Aleksa, the artistic director of the “Circulation” festival, says that although due to the global pandemic crisis the festival’s main program will carry over to 2021, this year two aspects of the festival will be emphasized and not forgotten: education and communication.
– What led this year’s festival not to give up, but to change it to a new format and invite viewers to participate virtually? What new challenges await the organizers?
Guild: As soon as information about how the virus spread was released, we realized that we were unable to implement this year’s Circulation Plan. It is a prerequisite for our festival to breathe the common air, we need people to be close to each other, to have the opportunity to communicate freely, invite artists to the guests, cry freely and breathe deeply while watching special artists at the performances.
We argued a lot, talked to the artists and decided that two aspects of the festival could be preserved: communication and education. The education will take place virtually, the artists will communicate with the teachers online, they will film their process, they will debate, they will try to link their performative research with certain places in Vilijampolmp. We cannot invite local people to see the results of the educational process for the safety of all of us, but Vilijampolė will receive some circus injections this year.
And we will transfer communication and personality discovery to podcasts, which can be viewed and heard year-round until a real, physical, single-weather “Circulation.” Each personality or company that was supposed to appear on this year’s show will receive a separate interview.
In this way, people will have the opportunity to get to know these different and impressively warm: our viewers have already experienced a paradox with special artists of humanity whose abilities exceed human possibilities, people who have been interested in Lithuania, Kaunas, Vilijampole and wish contribute to circulation objectives. .
– Do you need special IT knowledge to participate in virtual creative seminars and developer meetings?
Guild: What everyone had to learn during quarantine was to participate in virtual meetings. What we have all experienced is that they are exhausting. Therefore, joining the education will be no more difficult than any other meeting you have, and the length of the education, in consultation with the teachers, will be adequate to encourage creativity rather than fatigue. And joining to listen to or watch podcasts will be even easier: just follow us on any social network and click on our shared link. On the days of the festival – from June 6. daily following a new link.
– How long does it take to organize an international festival of this scale? What were you waiting for and what innovations were they supposed to be at this year’s festival?
Guild: No matter how hard we try to lie to ourselves, organizing such a festival lasts all year. After all, you have to go to as many international festivals as possible, try to create a program, network for further cooperation, visit international network conventions (“Circulation” belongs to the Nordic Baltic Circus and CircoStrada networks), contribute to the objectives of these networks, contribute to the development of the Lithuanian circus, then adapt the neighborhood, clean the desired facilities, build scenes, chairs …
Usually when the latest artists at the festival perform we already have the festival schedule for next year. But, as we can see, the plans and the reality do not always go hand in hand. In addition to the impressive core program, the truly high-quality community program, we were looking forward to this year’s major innovations – the first Circulation Conference would take place.
As the festival receives more and more attention abroad, we note that more and more professionals come to Lithuania to see the format of the festival and its impact on the local community. So we wanted to dedicate part of the program to those who had passed the stage of becoming familiar with the circus. Inspired by the various contexts of Vilijampolė, we wrapped the themes of the conference around the word “oppression”. We have invited stage artists-personalities who have found this theme with incredible perspectives. They will be available in podcasts, I give the floor, their stories and ideas are worth all our time.
– The theme of the festival “Private zone” – became prophetic. The festival will really become very personal for everyone. What would the participants and spectators of the virtual festival like?
Guild: I didn’t even think (laughs). We really … We wanted to talk about where those limits must be respected, in a festival that enters people’s lives with an offer to experience the circus. Now everything takes on a completely different meaning and I’m glad most of the show will stick next year and we’ll look at this period with some hindsight, the performances will grow with new meanings – this is an artistic goal that we consciously pursue by showing unusual excursions. … so that the viewer experiences as many things as possible.
This practice is enjoyed not only by viewers and critics, but also by the artists themselves. I have heard praise for the world stars that I have presented in an abandoned house with an unusually small number of spectators, or in a bar where beer is “below the euro”. This aspect receives only positive reviews. As a spectator myself, I know how virtual performances already affect us.
That is why we abandon them and look for the most convenient ways to transmit at least part of the desired warm experience. So I wish the viewers of this year’s festival a wish to know: we will see the action, the tricks and the concepts next year, this opportunity is not inferred. Only one new thing arises: meeting the people who create these miracles. And before we see them in action, it will be possible to recall again the prayer that I hear several times in each “Circulation”: how wonderful they are.
– Most of the events planned for the festival carry over to next year. In what state of mind did the foreign partners and participants know this knowledge?
Guild: All artists have a great understanding of the situation. We postponed the festival, but most of the other events in the world were simply canceled. And that was the only source of income for those companies. So the idea of moving the entire program (some negotiations are still going on, maybe we can move the entire program without any changes) to next year, ensuring their participation in our festival, and this year to meet the festival and the Spectators, the artists welcomed very happy.
Organizationally, there are even positives: Companies from France or Spain have to drive to Lithuania and appear here once or twice. This time it will provide them with opportunities to discover additional performance opportunities in neighboring countries and thus reduce potential losses.
– Present the educational part of this year’s festival. What creative workshops await artists?
Gildas: After evaluating the possibilities of the situation and the rarity of modern circus educational programs in Lithuania, we decided that it is not possible to go out for a year without raising the qualification of artists in this field or developing new skills. However, this education will not be available for certain circus techniques. One of the teachers, Claudel Doucet, an incredible Canadian creator who explored ideas of intimacy in his work, was supposed to be responsible for this year’s show on the balconies.
Their really strong idea will materialize next year, only this time instead of five workshop days, participants will have a full year to familiarize themselves with Claudel’s methods, which they will explore this year. The same strategy for the stages of deepening the quality of education will be applied to another teacher: Ariel Bronze from Israel. This artist has come from the field of theater, so his workshops will be closer to artists who have not yet encountered a circus. Inspired by the story of his most famous, and most troublesome, performance, “Blocked,” we ask that you link his workshop to the theme of remembrance.
The Kaunas Biennale also addressed this topic in Vilijampolė, so I would like to give this cultural event, which has opened history, a certain continuity, investigating how memory can relate to the physical bodies of artists in space. Ariel was already talking to various Holocaust investigators and was very interested in the history of Vilijampolė and Lithuania. This fact is very intriguing to see who will be born from him and from the Lithuanian artists.
– In the festival’s virtual program – video and audio podcasts with all the foreign guests who had to appear at this year’s event. Where do you think undirected conversations with festival participants can happen?
Guild: The festival participants are very different personalities with very different experiences. Once upon a time, when I had to prepare to moderate conversations with circus performers at the capital’s “New Circus Weekend” festival, I asked Robert Magro, a world-famous circus conductor and teacher who loved Lithuania, what to ask, what not to ask after a circus performance.
He answered me: without sophistication, simple questions: what is a circus for you, why did you decide to create such a performance? Circus performers are not theatrical, they don’t need to speak in high sentences. And I’m sure we’ll start the conversations very simply, but its course is absolutely unpredictable even for me. I can only guarantee that during the conversation we will learn about the people themselves, about their lives in the current conditions and about their performance.
It will be a great opportunity: instead of a discussion after a presentation, when everyone is tired, we have a discussion before the presentation. A year before the performance. As we have noticed that viewers of Kaunas like to argue with the thoughts and media expressed in the presentation, it will be interesting to see what impressions there will be after people have a chance to think about the presentation for a long time, imagine it to your way. ) and then raises questions and debates with the performers. There may be another “Circulation” communicating powerfully. It is good to start communicating in advance.
– Maybe during this period you had to participate in virtual events yourself? What are your impressions and do you think that such a global crisis will affect the development and consumption of contemporary art?
Guild: I had to give interviews and attend conferences, hold meetings and see performances. The latest experience has sparked many discussions in Lithuania, in the land of theater. There are festivals that have moved their program to virtual. Thanks to them, we were able to see the works of artists who will not be able to come to Lithuania at any time.
However, “Circulation” is not about famous names. Especially since famous surnames in the circus world are not necessarily famous surnames in Vilijampolė. Therefore, when we bring celebrities, we allow them to test their level in action. I have seen such performances, for which the entire French audience suddenly falls out of inertia (and is not as common there as in Lithuania), shouting “bravo”, and tried to imagine if Šilainiai and Dainava would cover them as well. In my opinion, the artists here can really check to see if they have fallen asleep on their laurels.
There are rumors that our capitalist understanding will turn into further promotion of DAR consumption when things go back to their places: people will be able to buy virtual presentations in addition to live presentations, the real world has discovered the same great virtual self-reflection and hopes to increase sales by 100%.
But it was quarantine that showed why theater and dance did not disappear for thousands of years. I think as soon as it’s safe, people will be very willing to come back to see live art. I myself remembered why theater, not cinema, not television. There is an infinite passion within walking distance to see a miracle. And this is the whole essence of “Circulation”: go to the balcony, from the stairs, to the patio or cross the street and see the miracle.
International Festival of Contemporary Circus “Circulation” June 6 to 14. in cyberspace.
Open invitations to sign up for creative artist classes until May 20.
More information on the Facebook account of the Circulation Festival.
The festival is supported by the Lithuanian Culture Council. The festival is organized by the Association “Teatronas”.
Broadcast podcasts:
June 6 Circulation (Lithuania)
June 7 Sisus Sirkus (Finland)
June 8 ENT Company (Sweden)
June 9 Ariel Bronz (Israel)
June 10 My! Weather (France / Italy)
June 11 John-Paul Zaccarini (Sweden)
June 12 Lion Lion Company (Canada)
June 13 Stacey Sacks (Zimbabwe / Sweden / Lithuania)
June 14 Circus Ei eia (Spain)
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