I remember it like it was yesterday – the thrill, the excitement and a bit of pride while seeing 10 minutes of standing ovation for “Face Nord” by Un loup pour l’homme. Outside of the city centre overrun by tourists, outside of the black box, actually in a quite ugly “square” in front of the squatted cultural centre, which does not have a good reputation among the majority of citizens. 600 people in the audience, packed tribunes, people sitting on the floor, standing on their feet, trying to see from nearby benches... It was July 2019, a super hot summer day in Split, Croatia. The artists were sweating, the audience was sweating. Complete opposite of the pandemic reality we will have in just a couple of months...

This is the exact moment I decided to start organising a festival in my hometown. I started doing yearly seasons with international contemporary circus artists back in 2015. I say yearly but it was a couple of performances per year, 4 to 5 at best. Face Nord was the first performance that I hosted in a public space. In the end, it was the one that made me want to start a festival. The energy of that day! The amazing team of artists, the curiosity of neighbourhood kids, the smiles, laughter and surprises in the eyes of the public.

I don’t think I would have easily decided we were ready to organise a high-quality festival if it wasn’t for this amazing moment in time. But this exact moment led us to host the Annual General Meeting of Circostrada Network during only the fourth edition of the Peculiar Families Festival! I see it as a great appreciation from our peers for all the collective and individual efforts done by my colleagues and us to make the artistic field of contemporary circus rise in our region.

While preparing for the fifth edition of the Festival (from May 23rd to May 26th 2024!) I can contemplate that our program is and has always been a combination of indoor and outdoor contemporary circus performances. It is challenging to design and produce this festival - if we put aside the classical obstacles of budgets and availability of artists (and their readiness to explore different circus realities than those of Western Europe) we are struggling with spaces. Equally the spaces for indoor and outdoor performances. On one hand, the city is deprived of proper theatrical venues that are spacious enough to host contemporary circus performances. On the other hand, the public space in Split is commodified. It is treated as a product that can be bought, sold, or exploited for profit rather than being valued primarily for its public or communal purposes. With the negative impact of excessive tourism where those impacts significantly outweigh the benefits, economic interests of spaces are prioritised over the common good or public use.

What does it mean in practice? Obtaining permits is always a significant challenge when presenting performances in public spaces. Communication with the local authorities (the city council) takes time. A lot of time. There are no regulatory requirements so there are a lot of suspicions from those that are making decisions because of their lack of knowledge about arts in public spaces. Public spaces are commercialised for activities such as bars, restaurants, or stores. This alters the character of the space and prioritises consumerism over civic engagement and cultural programs.

Another usual challenge is explaining to authorities that indoor spaces are sometimes also public spaces. Performances in museums and galleries, libraries, train terminals and even shopping malls can reinvent the usage of these spaces. Train terminals can be a space where the public has an opportunity to be surprised by the arts, where they can re-think their position in the world, where they can interact with the artists and even create together.

I can continue pointing out obstacles or challenges but I will finish on a positive note.

Why is it important to overcome all the obstacles and bring contemporary circus performances to public spaces? Speaking from the point of view of Croatia and the region, I will always defend the necessity to enter both – the cultural institutions and the public spaces at the same time. The first one is because of the establishment where performances that are presented in the national theatres, for example, are examples of high art, art of great quality and worth seeing. I often feel that I still live in a society with aristocracy, bourgeoisie and peasantry and the first two groups need to be attracted to the contemporary circus in the theatre.

The beauty of presenting performances in public spaces is in accessibility, cultural exchange and community engagement. Reaching to those who may not typically visit theatres, museums, galleries…Building connections and strengthening social ties… Putting a focus on the living areas that are neglected, that don’t have any format of cultural activities… Creating an opportunity to showcase diversity, to shock, shake and make the audience rethink their set of values or life processes… Encourage reflection, contemplation and introspection, engage with deeper questions and themes… Reclaim the space as a common entity and not a commercialised one in the service of capitalism.

Photo: Face Nord, by Un loup pour l'homme (July 2019) © Darko Škrobonja.

Antonia Kuzmanic

Antonia Kuzmanic is the artistic leader of the contemporary circus collective ROOM 100. She started back in 2008 as a self-taught contortionist and acrobat (Jeunes Talents Cirque Europe laureate 2009-2010) and moved to the production, distribution and development of contemporary circus arts in Croatia and the Balkan region in 2015. ROOM 100 is a member of circusnext platform, Circostrada Network and Hand to hand project.