Clown Congress

Join us for 4 days of workshops, discussions and big ideas as we explore the future of clowning

In times of crisis and change, the old models of our art-forms may need re-imagining to suit the times we are in.
As we face shifting and transitioning political power systems, climate breakdown and urgent issues of social injustice we are gathering to ask what is the future of clowning in these turbulent times?

Join us at the Clown Congress, where together we look to answer the questions:
* What does it mean to be a clown in this current era;
* How can clowns and clowning address issues of diversity and decolonisation so we can have a meaningful impact on issues of equity and social justice; and,
* How might these things be expressed in a post-pandemic, post-Brexit world where the political, economic and cultural landscapes are in flux?

The Clown Congress will be a curated meeting place to:
* share practice;
* have conversations about issues big and small;
* explore developments of the art form;
* ask our key questions; and,
* challenge our thinking around the possibilities and power of clowning

Dates:
Monday 29th August to Thursday 1st September
Arts Mansion, Ashton Court Estate, Long Ashton, Bristol BS41 9JN
Hosted by Robyn Hambrook, Jon Davison and Hilary Ramsden
With invited contributors including: Fatina Cummings-Hunt, Bim Mason (Circomedia), Samantha Holdsworth (Clowns Without Borders UK), Eva Ribeiro - MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED

The Format:
The first three days each focus on a theme. On the final day we will draw together threads and ideas arising from them and explore where to go next.
The days will include a mixture of formats including games and warm ups, exploratory workshops, focused discussions, open spaces, informal get-togethers and time to share our individual projects.
Monday 29th August: Power, Protest and Authority
Tuesday 30th August: Anti-Racism and Decolonisation
Wednesday 31st August: Climate and Planet
Thursday 1st September: What next?

Daily Schedule:
9am - 9.45am - Daily clown warm up - for those who like an early start and to move the body
10am - 11.30am - Session one
11.30am - 12:00pm - Break - tea & coffee provided
12.00pm - 1.30pm - Session two
1.30pm - 2.30pm - Lunch - lunch provided for all participants
2.30pm - 4.00pm - Session three
4.00pm - 4.30pm - Break - Break - tea & coffee provided
4.30pm - 6.00pm - Session four
6.00pm - 8.00pm - informal gathering and some evening presentations.

Who is it for?
Clowns, performers, activists, therapists, teachers, students, clown doctors, applied drama / improvisation practitioners, researchers, artists, dreamers and anyone who uses play in their work

Investment:
£40 - per day includes lunch & refreshments
£120 - for 4-day conference includes lunch & refreshments

We are committed to making the conference as inclusive and supportive as possible. So we have some low cost options:

Bursary Places:
We have 5 bursary places available for those who would otherwise be unable to attend due to financial barriers. We trust you to self-identify as needing the place and will support you as much as possible during the 4 days.
A bursary place will give you free access to all 4 days of the Clown Congress. It does not include the cost of the food so we will ask for a small fee of £5/day
To take advantage of a bursary place, please select 'Bursary place' at checkout. These are allocated on a first come first served basis.

Congress Comrades:
We have 8 places for those who would like to attend the Congress, reduce costs and give something back.
A Congress Comrade place will give you free access to 3 days of the Clown Congress in exchange for one day in a support role. Tasks could include meet and greet, supporting facilitators, setting up for lunch etc.
Congress Comrade places do not include the cost of the food so we will ask for a small fee of £20.
To take advantage of a volunteer place, please select 'Congress Comrade' at checkout. These are allocated on a first come first served basis.
Tickets available on Eventbrite: https://tinyurl.com/48dkd6fn

Check out the our other Clown Congress events:
Introduction to Clowning with Hilary Ramsden and Robyn Hambrook
Saturday 27th August, 10 - 5pm - £40 for those attending The Clown Congress
and
Clown Diving in Nature with Eva Ribeiro
Sunday 28th August, 10 - 5pm - £40 for those attending The Clown Congress

Please contact robynhambrook@gmail.com for more information

Significance of the Clown Congress - a historical perspective:
In 1959 The First National Conference on Clown Craft, known popularly as the Congress of Clowns, was held in Russia. An assembly of circus clowns, government officials had met earlier and found the circus to be lacking in satire and trivial in comparison to earlier figures such as clown satirist, Vladimir Durov. Under Stalin clowns had had their rights to parody and their targets limited by the Party. But the result of the Congress, and agreed by Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev, clowns could now mock low-level bureaucracy, as well as idlers and incompetent doctors, with state approval.
Our context is very different. The USSR in the late 1950s was moving from brutality to wanting to compete with the consumer societies of the West, with a veneer of choice and the promise of material comfort. But the principle is the same: in times of crisis and change, the old models for our artform need renovating, so that they might match the very particular circumstances we find ourselves in.
Today we are emerging from a global pandemic, the aftermath of BLM and a new war in Europe. All this added to the emergent awareness of the urgency for action in the face of climate change, the yet to be known effects of Brexit and the dumbing down of national politics across the world.