2017_
Where it is never in balance. Everything in the whole world is in disequilibrium and it is looking for equilibrium. But we know that this is not possible because there is always the movement that causes the imbalance. Et le mouvement c’est la vie.
Sanja Kosonen
As a photographer, I have a special interest in the world of circus, especially in the subtle and ambiguous aspects of this art: the forms of communication between artists during practices, sensory and body language, emotions, falls, movements of imbalance, the silences of suspension and fear. These are moments of transition where one plays with one’s own limits and which I observe as a staging.
Knowing the vulnerability of the circus and understanding it as a strength, beyond technique, has allowed me to demystify the “big leap” per se and understand it as a means of constructing a discourse, thinking of the circus as another way of looking and as a stage language in itself.
Balance is a subtle and fragile movement, of apparent stability, where different forces fit together for an instant in an ephemeral space vulnerable to any other movement, and for that very reason it is not still. Given the apparent strength of circus bodies, I am surprised that this delicate work of searching for balance is hidden within it, an inquiry that implies transcending emotional, physical, mental, individual and collective boundaries, with all the risks that this entails.
In the circus, extraordinary things happen regularly, such as moving in the air or walking upside down, and from there arise organic and ephemeral forms, ecstatic and unusual expressions. They are actions of passage that play with the force of bodies and gravity; and when a body reaches zero gravity, at the point of suspension of the journey, it is precisely where balance occurs, in an instant of transcendence.
Understanding the transience of these moments leads me to observe the circus from the transitory quality of rituals, paying attention to the sensitivity of the forms that the same journey adopts: the preparatory gaze of two people who will balance hand in hand, the tempos of movement that are marked through shared breathing, the play of articulation between several bodies as they communicate in a sensory way, or even the fall.
The possibility of falling is always there, but it takes on a different presence when we want to go beyond the threshold and reach the unknown point, because this is where the risk appears. When we are in the transition from one place to another, from one movement to another, the only possible orientation in this liminal space is a blind bet: trust and face the void. Focusing on the fears and uncertainty that this generates, as well as insecurity and imbalances, as transitory spaces on the path is a way of valuing the entire journey necessary to transcend.
That’s why I think it’s interesting to give space to these interruptions and observe what images emerge. Being aware of obstacles keeps us alert, and this state, in itself, generates a harmonious relationship between different elements to the point that it becomes a spontaneous composition. I have often found that when a group of people build a balancing figure at triple height, or when someone prepares to make a big jump, the people around them stop, observe and wait for the action to be consumed to return to the initial rhythm. There is a silence and respect in the face of this tension, as if from chaos everything is getting ready to reach balance, in a collective listening where everyone is part of what is happening for a moment.
Each crossing and each construction is a ritual performing a circus, to the point of transforming an initially unknown space into a habitable place where we learn to breathe, and once we arrive here, mark a new threshold. Finding ourselves in this fragility gives us the courage to seek balance, and it is the restlessness to find it that keeps us alive.
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Exhibited at Casal Pere Quart in Sabadell, Casa Elizalde in Barcelona, CC Cotxeres Borrell in Barcelona, Festival Llavors in Balaguer, l’Anònima in Manresa and Academy of Medical Sciences in Sabadell. 2013 StripArt Festival Award in Barcelona.
