Idea

Goal

The project will culminate in a performance exploring the meanings associated with juggling. The Internet of Things (IoT) technology and contemporary methods of video projection will serve as tools for finding a form adequate to the subject. I will collaborate with three circus artists whose presence will be performatively integrated into the show, presenting their work and revealing the valuable and non-obvious aspects of the art of juggling.

The project can be divided into four stages.

Stage one

I will begin by researching the meanings and contexts of juggling as they appear in both high and popular culture. This research will draw on a literature review that includes works such as Cyrk w świecie widowisk, Circusiana, On the Symbolism of Juggling: The Moral and Aesthetic Implications of the Mastery of Falling Objects, among others. I will also analyze how juggling is represented in selected theatre and circus performances. Based on the collected material, I will create the script for the final performance. At this stage, I will also select experts to join the project, schedule consultations and space rental, and choose the institution that will host the presentation. The outcome of this stage will be a detailed action plan and a performance script.

Stage two

Next, I will collaborate with experts from computer science (IoT, real-time data processing) and new media (video editing, projections). Together, we will explore the artistic potential of these technologies through initial experiments. This stage will result in the creation of code or a block diagram that enables the use of IoT and real-time data visualization within the performance. For instance, IoT could be used to collect spatial data from objects moving within a juggling pattern and display them in real time.

Stage three

Following that, I will collaborate with selected circus artists and a musician to explore methods of recording and presenting their work, which will be integrated into the performance in a fully virtual form. During this phase, the musical score will also be composed. This stage will conclude with the creation of the performance.

Stage four

Finally, I will design the project’s visual identity, organize a public presentation of the performance at the host institution, and document the entire process. I will also write and publish an online article reflecting on the artistic process of the project (tentative title: *The Semantics of Juggling: In Search of Meanings, Contexts, and Form).