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Archaos


Archaos (Cirque Archaos) is a French contemporary circus created by Pierrot Bidon in 1986. It began as an alternative, theatrical circus without animals, featuring dangerous stunts like chainsaw juggling, fire breathing, wall of death, etc. The company is considered a pioneer of the contemporary circus. Today, Archaos is based in Marseille, France and is a designated Pôle National des Arts du Cirque. Archaos is also the main organiser of the Biennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque, the world's largest contemporary circus festival.

Archaos found fame in the UK through Pierrot's association with Adrian Evans, who promoted the company there. Shows included Chapiteau des Cordes, Bouinax, BX91 and Metal Clown. Archaos sold out for 12 weeks on Clapham Common in 1990, following a UK tour. The 1991 tour of Metal Clown encountered financial difficulties after the tent was destroyed by gales in Tallaght, Dublin. This, and a number of artistic differences, led to the demise of Archaos. A number of Brits who trained with the company have gone on to pursue careers in the entertainment industry, with companies such as Mischief La-Bas and Flambeaux & The P-Cult.

Archaos also helped inspire the British New Circus movement, led by companies like Mamaloucos (formed in 1996), who went on to collaborate with the Royal National Theatre.

In September 2010, an exhibition in London displayed the Archaos archive of films, photos, audio, etc. Ex-members travelled from all over the world to be at the five-day event. The exhibition was held in memory of Archaos founder Pierrot Bidon, who died earlier in the year. The obituary in The Guardian celebrating Bidon's life noted that Archaos was "one of the ensembles that galvanised the new circus movement, in which traditional arts have been re-imagined and combined with contemporary artistic sensibilities and theatrical techniques."


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