3–6 July 2023 | CNAC
Centre National des Arts du Cirque
Châlons-en-Champagne (FR) hosted by le Palc
"What new narratives can we collectively imagine — at the intersection of circus, ecology, and the world of work?"
This first gathering brought together partners, associate partners, mentors and 16 pre-selected artists across Europe through a two-phase open call focused on creativity, sustainability, and cross-sectoral openness. The workshop served both as an immersive laboratory and a key moment in the final selection process, allowing mentors and partners to observe the artists in action and deepen their proposals.
Participants navigated a programme combining circus practices in public space and insights from researchers and professionals. Through keynotes, physical and collective explorations, performative walks, body-based research, and exchanges with private companies and partners such as Champagne House Joseph Perrier and Papeterie Arches, participants engaged in rich, cross-sector encounters. They explored the rhythms of the marketplace, uncovered the invisible poetry of labour, and transformed their observations into spontaneous gestures and artistic forms.
Key contributors included:
- Nathalie Blanc (CNRS) on artistic ecologies and political aesthetics
- Magali Sizorn (University of Rouen) on the anthropology of gesture and labour
- Stephen Bouquin (University of Evry) on the ecology of work
- Delphine Lanson, artistic mentor, guiding embodied experimentation in public space
- Marie Le Sourd (On the Move) on sustainable mobility for artists
The workshop culminated in individual artist pitches, where each participant proposed a prototype for future development — rooted in ecology, inspired by craft, and ready to dialogue with one of the six partner activity sectors (from vineyards to salt marshes).
This first gathering laid the foundation for a shared vocabulary — physical, intellectual, and emotional — and opened a space of co-construction, where circus becomes a tool to imagine and rehearse transitions.
The 16 pre-selected artists were:
Luiza Adjuto (PT/BR), Arthur Cadre (FR), Chloé Chevalier (FR), Marianna De Sanctis (IT), Darya Effart (DE/IL), Amir Guetta (FR/IL), Juana Ortega Kippes (ES/AR), Theresa Kuhn (DE), Mille Lundt (DK), Zinnia Nomura (DE/US), Mathilde Roy (FR), Alexsey Smolov (LV), Clara Cortés Soler (ES), Erwan Tarlet (FR), Lucia Heege Torres (ES), and Antonia Vuletić (HR).