Lívia Mattos

(Salvador – BA)

The affective memory of the circus and its archetypes is the subject of this performance in which artist and musician Lívia Mattos proposes taking the circus to people instead of the other way around. This is accomplished through a unique and creative strategy: Lívia becomes the circus, dressing as the circus tent while playing her accordion live as a one-woman-band, a traditional icon in popular culture.

Between songs the artist tells stories that mix fiction and actual events, evoking legendary characters of circus. She also explores themes suggested by audience members, who are encouraged to share what first comes to mind when they think about the circus arena.

Behind the simplicity of what Lívia calls “the smallest show on earth” is its creator’s narrative repertoire, the result of circus research conducted in two Portuguese language countries, Brazil and Republic of Cabo Verde, dealing with important aesthetic questions: is the big top still the main reference of the circus in collective memory?

CREDITS
Conception, creation and performance: Lívia Mattos
Technical consultancy: Marcos Nunez e Manolo
Seamstress: Letícia e Dora Moreira
Painting: Flávio Oliveiras (Flos)