Proto-p experiments: Entering a community of circus practitioners

Abstract

This paper discusses early experiments in an exploration of how interactive technologies can be designed for circus art performances. The experiments were carried out in environments for training and rehearsal of circus skills and technique. The approach was to introduce circus artists in various disciplines to motion sensors and interactive visualizations. The intention was to create impulses and ideas that later can be explored and shaped in a co-creational process with circus performers.
The outcome of these experiments is discussed in relation to the notion of communities of practice, and the concepts of infrastructuring and protoperformance (proto-p). In conclusion, the experiments became a way to enter into a community of circus practitioners. This led to new design openings, which can be developed with sensitivity to circus aesthetics.