This is the result of my personal project called "Circus Life".
The project started in May 2011 in Mallorca, Spain and ended in Cologne, Germany in July of the same year. I followed the Cirque Bouffon and the day to day of the artists' life backstage and during the perfomances.
(Extracted from the "Circus Life" book)
"It all began one day in May when I arrived at the tent of the Cirque Bouffon. In the middle of Parc de la Mar below the Cathedral of Palma, among the trees. I wanted to speak to somebody about the project I had in mind so I waited until someone arrived from the Cirque Bouffon. Suddenly from a distance I saw a rather peculiar looking man. As he got closer he looked at me with curiousity as if asking himself what was I doing there so close to the tent. I introduced myself and he answered in English with a soft French accent:
-"Hello, I am Frederic Zipperlin, the circus director. Nice to meet you."
I followed him through the dark corridors that surrounded the stage while avoiding the black curtains as if they were enormous spiderwebs. As I was telling him my idea, he added "ahas" to my comments as I went advancing in my explanation. We arrived to a sort of terrace at the rear of the main tent where the trailer and a tent that served as a dressing room were located. The backstage. In the center there was a plastic table surrounded by wooden chairs. He grabbed one and sat down. He showed interest in the project I had described on the way. It seemed like a great idea. We concluded that he would explain the project to the artists and meanwhile I could attend that night´s performance.
It was impossible to attend that very night but I went two days later with my girlfriend Valeria. When we got there the only lights that were lit, apart from the park´s solitary street lamps, were the spotlights that lit up the tent. There was a long line of people waiting. When we entered, the first thing that we noticed was the mysterious atmosphere created by the double bass music in the background and a grey smoke coming from the stage which climbed up our ankles. There was no turning back as we entered a magical world from which I would never leave...."
