Featured Scholars:
Kelie Bowman, Alan Calpe & William Heath
2000 - 2001 University Scholar
Mentor: George Ferrandi
College of Fine Arts
Fine arts students Kelie Bowman, Alan Calpe, and William Heath never expected they would end up running away with the circus. But through their University Scholars Program (USP) work with the College of Fine Arts' Cloud Seeding Circus of the Performative Object, they will soon be packing up costumes and props for an extended tour of the eastern United States with their version of the travelling Big Top.
The Cloud Seeding Circus, created by fine arts professor George Ferrandi, draws on both traditional circus elements and aspects of performance art. The two-hour show incorporates sculpture, installation, video, live presentations, and music. "One of our aims is to play against the audience's traditional expectations, to redefine the carnival experience," explains Bowman, a senior from Clearwater.
For example, unlike
trained bear routines of the conventional circus, the Cloud Seeding Circus
"bear act" features performers dressed in elaborate bear-like
costumes made of wooden frames and transparent fabric. "Our bears
don't co-operate, they refuse to be led," says Bowman, who performs
as an unsuccessful bear trainer. "We try to create an atmosphere
that leaves room for interpretation. The possibility for chance and change
within the performance is essential to creating art."
Although Bowman, an electronic intermedia major, was not a performer when she came to UF, she says that issues raised in a video production course with Ferrandi inspired her to take the stage. "The direct interaction between the audience and the performer offers an intimate relationship that two-dimensional work doesn't provide," she says.
Senior advertising major Alan Calpe also credits Ferrandi with spurring his interest in performing. "George incorporates performance into her classes in a way that is really stimulating. I'm very attracted to her idea that performances should be spectacles," he says.
Bowman, Calpe, and Heath are the only undergraduates in the ten-person circus.
Planning and promotion
are vital parts of the students' USP project, and each Scholar is responsible
for helping book venues and co-ordinate travel logistics. Calpe, who performs
as a bear and Victorian lady, helps with publicity packets and video production.
Bowman organizes venue research, and Heath, a junior sculpture major and
business adminstration minor, works with grants research. "I had
no idea how much planning and management went into this kind of event,"
Heath says. He performs as a bear and a cotton candy salesman, but he
says he particularly enjoys the organizational process. "I find this
part of the show very interesting. I plan to pursue an MBA in museum management,
so it's also a very practical learning experience."
This fall the Circus will travel and perform two five-week stints over a twelve-week period, earning the three University Scholars academic credit while they are on the road. Along with the scheduled shows at venues such as museums and galleries, the Circus also plans to stage impromptu performances as they travel. "We'll use a specially modified box-truck that also functions as a stage," Calpe explains. "One of our main goals is to bring this kind of show to places that don't normally expect exhibits and performances. We hope to set up in campgrounds, farms, and even hospital parking lots, and see what happens."
For more information on the Cloud Seeding Circus of the Performative Object, see www.cloudseedingcircus.com
Back to the Journal of Undergraduate Research
