(PER)FORMING WORDS
(PER)FORMARE PAROLE
THE PROJECT
(PER)FORMING WORDS is a critical platform dedicated to contemporary circus, conceived by Emanuele Regi, Ludovica Taurisano, Silvia Garzarella and Gaia Vimercati. Initiated in 2022 within Fuori Asse Focus at Triennale Milano in collaboration with Altre Velocità, the format invites artists to sit with the audience and reflect on their artistic practice, opening a space for immediate exchange between creation, perception, and language.
Structured as a sequence of short, public conversations, (PER)FORMING WORDS activates collective processes of critical-thinking on the performance just experienced. These encounters culminate in the emergence of Italian words that do not (yet) exist: neologisms that attempt to name, capture, and momentarily crystallise the poetic, dramaturgical, and affective qualities of circus movement.
These terms arise from a dialogic interplay between those who create the work (the artist), those who witness it (the audience), and those who might articulate it (the critic), generating a provisional lexicon situated at the intersection of live experience, critical discourse, and academic inquiry.
BUILDING CRITICAL THINKING
The project emerges from the observation that, within the Italian context, contemporary circus as an art of creation still faces a relative lack of structured critical discourse and opportunities for expression. (PER)FORMING WORDS responds to this gap by proposing a collective exercise in linguistic invention as a form of critical practice: creating new words as a way to open up alternative modes of seeing, interpreting, and engaging with circus.
Conceived as an open and evolving format, (PER)FORMING WORDS operates as a flexible curatorial framework, adaptable to a range of contexts, festivals, and communities. Rather than advancing a single, authoritative voice, the project fosters a multiplicity of perspectives, inviting diverse participants to contribute to the construction of a shared critical language. At its core lies a desire to democratise knowledge by opening up processes of naming and interpretation, and to rethink criticism not as judgement, but as a space for reflection that supports artistic creation.
Functioning as a bridge between bodies and words, between language and performative practice, the project seeks to move beyond persistent myths and stereotypes surrounding circus, while actively contributing to its recognition as a contemporary art form.