Art
Clowns: The Eggs-hibition
Some 162 colourful characters take up residence in Bristol Museum & Art Gallery for this exhibition exploring the history of clowning.
As part of this year’s Circus 250 celebrations marking 250 years of the art form, this family show features original costume, fascinating archives and 162 intriguing clown eggs.
Clowns International, the oldest clowning organisation in the world, has been painting the faces of its members on eggs for over 70 years. Each one is a record of a clown’s identity, preserving the unwritten rule that no clown should copy another’s look. Although not legally binding, the eggs act as a sort of copyright, ensuring that every clown is unique.
The exhibition explores the origins of clowning and unveils the personal, hilarious and often bizarre stories of the people beneath the colourful exterior. Alongside the clown eggs, the show also features a clown car, circus props and clothing, archive photos, a kids trail, dressing-up, and even an invisible dog.
A programme of events will take place alongside the exhibition, including Museums at Night: Circus Spectacular (Thursday, Oct 25) – an evening of amazing acrobatics and live performances from Circomedia, Shakedown, Invisible Circus and Cirque da Purr. There will be opportunities to try out circus skills like juggling and tightrope walking, dress up in a themed photo booth and discover more about Bristol’s circus history, from its origins at St James’ Fair to its current Circus City status.
Elsewhere, on various dates during October and November, Holly Stoppit will become the museum’s Clown-in-Residence and host a programme of free performances, pop-up play sessions, nonsensical tours and a laughter yoga workshop. In between times she’ll be writing up her ridiculous clown research, live blogging and writing chapters of her bonkers book.
The public can join in Holly’s big clown experiment by completing her clown-in-residence questionnaire in advance – their answers will prompt what props and costumes she uses, and guide her improvised performances. Find the questionnaire at tinyurl.com/clownsquestions
Sept 29-Jan 6, Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, plus Christmas Eve 10am-1pm and New Year’s Eve 10am-5pm. Closed Christmas Day / Boxing Day / New Year’s Day. Pay what you think. For more info, visit www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-museum-and-art-gallery/whats-on/clowns-egg-hibition
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