Experiment #4: Clown Play

A group of clowns 'lighten' the mood of a very serious festival

CONTEXT
The Byline Festival is a festival whose aim is to promote independent journalism and free speech. Their programme of workshops, talks, film music and comedy connects pioneers in the field of investigative and open source journalism with a public hungry for honest, accountable and adventurous reporting. Set in a picturesque country park in East Sussex the attendees fit a similar demographic; predominantly white, left-leaning, middle-class and middle-aged. There are exceptions and many come because they are curious and keen on a different type of festival. The festival prides itself on being subversive featuring acts like Pussy Riot, speakers including Alexi Sayle and Cambridge Analytica whistleblowers and promising breaking news and disruptive narratives.
 
My workshop was on the fourth and last day of the festival. In preparation I aimed to identify and understand the dominant atmosphere and ideology of the festival. After attending days of talks and workshops I was fired up and despairing at the seemingly futile fight against Brexit election fraud and the media hegemony. The atmosphere felt ‘heavy’, a sentiment echoed by the participants of my workshop. The offer to play as clowns was eagerly accepted as was the opportunity to be empowered by 'doing' something in the festival; a desire to resist the feeling of oppression after passively listening to so many talks. The clown could offer resistance and transformation, from oppression to expression and heaviness to lightness.

ACTION
Five clowns play grandma’s footsteps with unsuspecting festival goers. The simple game takes the clowns on a journey around the site as they seek out a victim and sneak up on them. The person turns around, alerted by a friend or by the growing unease that people are looking at them. The five clowns freeze, staring intently at their victim. The victim usually smiles. It is difficult game to avoid without making a big scene. Some understand and agree to play the game, turning around and then quickly back again, allowing the clowns to approach further. But some decline by not turning around so the clowns cannot continue their journey. At one point the clowns chase off security guards who seem genuinely scared and unsure what to do. The clowns provide a spectacle and enjoyment for those who witness the game complicit in the upcoming surprise for unsuspecting victims.

AUDIENCE RESPONSE
The clowns are enjoyed by those who watched and those who participated. Many accept the games proposed by the clowns actively participating in the safety procedures offered, while others passively allow themselves to kept within a taped out cordon. Some people are initially confused by the mixed signals of authority displayed by the safety vest. “People didn’t understand at first. They saw the high viz vest and saw it as authority. And then they saw the red nose and they clicked that it was a game.” An observer noted that the clowns were an important antidote to another element of the festival; “In this context, people are prone to be introverted; focussing just on juggling and so they forget to be playful and socialise.”