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Clowns do ethnography: An experiment in long-distance comic failure

King, B; Talbot, RJ

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Authors

B King



Abstract

This paper examines the role of clowning in practice-as-research, and explores tensions between aspiration and execution in interdisciplinary projects. It draws on documentary assets (video screen grabs, photographs, texts) from a version of Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis devised online and presented at The Light in Leeds as Ugly Scenes (Performance Studies international, Psi#18). It is also an experiment in writing ‘for’ and ‘as’ idiots, bringing together four interlocuting voices: those of two academics ‘in conversation with’ their antagonists and clown-esque alter egos, Kurt Zarniko and Teddy Love. The performance involved collaboration between academics and artists in the UK, USA, and Greece in the form of online auditioning, online devising, and collaborative writing. Formed into an international company, the group used open-source software (Google Docs, Skype, and Snagit) as platforms that offer productive arenas for live performance and improvisation. These platforms have an inherent potential for technological calamity (which is understood as fruitful in clown and comic modes). The actual staging of this work by this international but amateur outfit presented numerous obstacles, comical ‘failures’ and shortcomings, and there remains a wealth of material that offers a rich resource for a visually striking critical reflection.

Citation

King, B., & Talbot, R. (2014). Clowns do ethnography: An experiment in long-distance comic failure. Comedy Studies, 5(1), 64-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/2040610X.2014.905104

Journal Article Type Article
Online Publication Date Jun 23, 2014
Publication Date Jun 23, 2014
Deposit Date Mar 24, 2014
Publicly Available Date Apr 5, 2016
Journal Comedy Studies
Print ISSN 2040-610X
Publisher Intellect
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 5
Issue 1
Pages 64-77
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/2040610X.2014.905104
Publisher URL http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2040610X.2014.905104
Related Public URLs http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcos20#.U8jn_vldXa4

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