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Fourteen of us answered the call to attend the Radical Love: Clowning in Conflict workshop with Police Officer Az-oolay. Each pulled by different heart strings to; ★ explore love as a way to harmonise from conflict ★ learn about the liminal space of the clown in real situations of power and conflict ★ focus on heartfelt sensations and empathy ★ research clowning as a way to disarm and disrupt the norm and shake people out of binaries ★ radically transform the impacts of trauma from state violence and oppression ★ collectively heal and support our nervous systems in challenging and difficult times ★ and acknowledge what is happening in Palestine at the moment and the power dynamic that is playing out globally across the world. I had been inspired by a news item of Police Officer Az-oolay’s work from 2021. Here was a lone clown, working on the streets of Jerusalem, meeting state oppression, violence, divided politics and nationalistic views, all with love. It was her bravery and the trajectory of her work; always towards the action, into the danger or propelled to those in need. Police Officer Az-oolay seemed to put herself directly into the conflict spaces with such bravery that I was genuinely moved. There is a playful inversion of the police officer; a wrinkled uniform, wrong-footed, over-sized shoes, garland hat and red nose. Her gentle parody of the power stances of the police is always with a lightness that often earns her a place on their side of the line. But also violence and jail time. There is already so much incredible documentation of her work I have listed some links below. After bringing her onto the Activist Clown Toolkit as a guest facilitator I extended an invitation, if she ever found herself in the UK I would love to host a workshop with her. The opportunity arrived this May. So we gathered, 14 curious humans to meet Police Officer Az-oolay, hear about her story and experience her work. The artist, Idit presents the workshop in her clown persona. Something she has always done to keep her anonymity and safety in Israel. We begin with a presentation including photos, videos and stories of the evolution of the character, now a staple in the demonstrations, protests and streets of Jerusalem and beyond. She also shares the work she has been doing since the 7 October, including pilgrimages to the borders of Gaza. Next we jump up and get moving to experience her embodied practice. They are simple and familiar exercises but with a beautiful spin related to the needs of her work. After lunch we dived into the streets of Stokes Croft, meeting the eclectic neighbourhood in the ways of Officer Az-oolay, handing out heart stickers to those who wanted it. Experiencing the work of understanding what a person or a space needs. Interacting with those who wish to play and not taking it personally if a person doesn’t want to connect to our invitations. Rejection can feel painful but the practice is to accept it as completely as being fully received. We were there to serve the space. I was so inspired by the simplicity of the exercises, and how quickly that took us gently to the streets. We had some beautiful connections with people in art galleries, some looking down at us from apartments, others driving by in cars or walking up to us to take photos and receive stickers. And we connected as a beautiful gaggle of clowns. Officer Az-oolay was so touched by the chance to work and play with others as she generally works alone. I was surprised at how much I learned in such a short time. Here are a few reflections from the session:
It was such a moving and inspiring workshop, leaving us all with a desire to meet and play again soon. In what we hope will be more peaceful times. Photos by Peta Lily, Hilary Ramsden and Robyn Hambrook
Follow Officer Az-Oolay on social Media: Instagram: @shoteretazoolay Facebook page : ישר-אל הלב مباشرة إلى القلب Straight to The Heart | Facebook Facebook Profile: Az-Oolay Attached is the link a TV article made on Police Straight to the Heart: https://youtu.be/2KhlEN9tlbY and some articles about Police Straight to the Heart that are published in English : KIOSK Magazine Send in the clown The National News Hilary and I headed to Brussels, our next stop on the Nomadic Rebel Clown Academy world domination tour. We were joined by 18 artists and activists from across Belgium and even as far as Romania. Our beautiful cohort brought their passion, curiosity and courage to play, question and create actions in the streets. They explored issues; car culture, connection to nature, anti-capitalist constructs and trash culture through beautiful moving choreographies, playful invitations and hilarious and touching interactions. We are so grateful for this work that allows us to cross borders, creating and connection clown communities through Europe. Where should we go next? These beautiful photos were taken by Kardama_pedalpxl |
AuthorCreative research into the meeting point of clowning and activism Archives
May 2025
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ABOUT ROBYN
Robyn is a Bristol-based director, teacher and performer. With over 20 years experience she is a passionate practitioner of clowning, physical theatre, circus and street arts. She has a MA in Circus Directing, a Diploma of Physical Theatre Practice and trained with a long line of inspiring teachers including Holly Stoppit, Peta Lily, Giovanni Fusetti, Bim Mason, Jon Davison, Zuma Puma, Lucy Hopkins and John Wright.
Over the past five years she has been exploring the meeting point of clowning and a deep desire to address the injustices in the world. This specialism has developed through her Masters Research ‘Small Circus Acts of Resistance’, on the streets and in protests with the Bristol Rebel Clowns and in research residencies with The Trickster Laboratory. Robyn’s Activist Clown research has led to collaborations with Jay Jordan (Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination, France), Clown Me In (Beirut), LM Bogad (US), Hilary Ramsden (Greece) and international Tricksters; ‘The Yes Men’ (US). During the pandemic in 2020, Robyn set up The Online Clown Academy with Holly Stoppit and developed a series of Zoom Clown Courses. Robyn’s research, started during her Masters, has been exploring the meeting point of clowning and activism, online, in the real world and with international collaborators. With this drive to explore political edges of her work she has also dived back into the world of the Bouffon; training with Jaime Mears, Bim Mason, Nathaniel Justiniano, Eric Davis, Tim Licata, Al Seed and the grand master Bouffon-himself; Philippe Gaulier. Keen to explore the intersection of clowning and politics, Robyn is driven to create collaborative, research spaces, testing and pushing the limits of the artform to create new knowledge and methodologies for her industry and strengthen partnerships for future work. Some of her most recent collaborations and teaching projects have included the Nomadic Rebel Clown Academy (5-day Activist Clown Training), The Laboratory of the Un-beautiful (Feminist Grotesque Bouffon Training for Womxn Theatre Makers) and the Clown Congress (annual gathering of clowns, activists & academics collectively exploring what it means to be a clown in this current era) |
Photo by HeardinLondon Photography
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