Reimagining Circus. Conversation with the artist Eliška Brtnická
Interview by Agnė Sadauskaitė
Circus today is expanding into fields that would have seemed unimaginable just a few decades ago — from neuroscience and architecture to digital technology. Contemporary circus artist Eliška Brtnická has been a key contributor to this evolution. A Czech performer, choreographer, dramaturge, and director, she has been working in the contemporary circus scene since 2010, with a body of work that often centers around the trapeze. This November marks her second appearance in front of the Lithuanian audiences as she returns to the international contemporary circus festivalCirkuliacija. Alongside her colleagues Alžběta Tichá and Filip Zahradnický, she will presentThin Skin— an abstract, meditative installation in which metal bars form a shifting spatial landscape that reflects on the fundamental principles of life.
– Your artistic language combines circus techniques with choreography and visual art. How did you become interested in this field and, especially, trapeze?
I was always a mover. I have been doing rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatic rock'n'roll and participating in competitions since I was little. I was also interested in art in general and decided to study physical theatre. I was very amazed when I had my first trapeze workshop with Jana Korb, a teacher from Berlin, in around 2005. I really liked the movement, the climbing - before I did a lot of pair acro, but trapeze was very different and it was somehow much easier for me than the floor acrobatics. Since then I understood that trapeze is my discipline.
– You also have a PhD on aerial choreography in HAMU, where you graduated from the non-verbal theatre studies. How did you decide to continue here?
I did my PhD in the Department of Choreography. At the time I was also a part of the circus dramaturgy program and choreographical research was connected with it. My decision to do a PhD was a research of my practice as I had a lot of questions and wanted to explore it. Now as I did many more experiments, some of the answers found are no longer relevant and I acquired many more questions through the time.
– Many of your performances use objects, space, and installation-like elements. Do you think of yourself more as a circus artist, choreographer, or visual artist—or is that division irrelevant?
I define myself as a circus artist, but everything is very connected. Circus works with apparatus, which is an object. Trapeze is an object and scenography at the same time. The object, on which you base your discipline, is always there, and it is a part of choreography. There is a trend lately in circuses that you mix objects and bodies and both have the same relevance. In my performance “Thin skin” people on the stage are also objects in a way. It talks a lot about space, composition and making images. So the visual work takes a big part. Choreography is also putting people and objects in space. It is visual art happening in time.
– What was your first encounter with a circus?
I saw a traditional circus when I was little and I was not amazed at all. I remember women walking on a wire but I didn't tell myself that I wanted to do it.
– In recent years, contemporary circuses have been gaining more and more visibility in Europe. In 2009 you established your own circus ensemble “Circus Mlejn”. How do you see the evolution of contemporary circus and where do you place yourself within that movement?
We founded this ensemble with my colleague from school and prepared a circus show. Although later my colleague moved away and stopped doing circus, the company is growing because I always collaborated with many different artists.
When I started it was very different. In the Czech Republic contemporary circus was started by people from the theatre environment. I also came from theatre school and while creating I concentrated more on the narrative. At that time I met Finnish acrobat Ilona Jantti, who became my dear friend and we collaborated on many different projects. These works really opened my eyes - circus could be a movement without story and it works on some other level. It was the beginning of me thinking more experimentally and visually, while also opening myself to choreographical ways. Circus is really going to every field you can imagine - circus is universal, this is what I really love about it.
– You will participate in the Cirkuliacija festival with “Thin skin”together with Alžběta Ticha and Filip Zahradnický. Could you briefly introduce the piece?
There are three people on the stage including me and there are three-metre long metal bars. It works as a spatial composition of the bars and bodies and it creates landscapes, like graphic models. The performance is totally abstract, it spins around associations and we work on the evolution of images. I will not say more not to include any spoilers (laughing).
– This performance does not use any words. Do you notice that your performances are received differently from country to country?
Maybe in some parts of the world during the show you can feel the reaction more strongly. Once we performed in Panama - people there brought kids, were more energetic, reacted loud and we could hear their reactions. It was amazing.
– This will be your second time at the festival Cirkuliacija. How did the first experience go? What plans do you have here?
I really loved Lithuania and I even planned to go here for holidays. I felt like at home, there was the same vibe, maybe because of our similar communist era history, I could relate to Lithuanian people easily, it feels like we have the same jokes. Last time I was in Kaunas and now we will perform in Vilnius. I would like to explore the city and Arts Printing house. I always like to go to the galleries, have some coffee and, most importantly, speak with people and meet them.
8th-9th OF NOVEMBER AT THE SMOKE FACTORY (DŪMŲ FABRIKAS) VILNIUS