by Rachael Macintyre
At the beginning of May, I was fortunate to accompany FBA director Kresanna Aigner to the Festival of Fools in Belfast, as part of the Associate Artist Programme (AAP). Now my time as an AAP artist has almost come to an end, it was a wonderful way to finish off this residency with such a supportive organisation. Over the last year, AAP has provided the support to develop my practice, and one way in which it does that has been to facilitate opportunities to go and see other work, to network and connect with other artists.
This year marked 20 years of a festival that offers free outdoor circus performances, the largest one in Northern Ireland. I was invited to attend to take inspiration from the various Irish and international artists performing, and also to meet and make connections with other circus artists currently working in Ireland, as well as programmers of festivals across the country. It is so valuable to be given the time and space to meet people without having to sell a project or performance, but just to let those connections form and see, naturally, which ones take root.
I spent three days in the glorious sunshine, walking the streets of Belfast and seeing a variety of street shows. From one-man wild comedy ride Mr Barbra Time to a gentle and mesmerising acrobatic tour of Belfast’s narrow streets with Stroll on our Shoulders. It was inspiring to see such an array of performance styles on the streets and got my mind whirring with creative possibilities. Who knows where they’ll lead, but the joy and privilege of being part of such a supportive programme is that, right now, I don’t have to know!
