Circus and music show

Circus, theater and music:

Link for the spanish video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kvNqyzEoUQ We are Maria, Julia, Bertha and Pilar, four artists from the world of contemporary circus, theater and music. Our company was born in 2023 in Granada with the ambition of fusing these arts and making music dance and the circus play, creating a space where the spectator’s senses are awakened.

The topic of psychiatric illnesses: schizoaffective disorder

We quickly knew what we wanted to talk about. The four of us are sensitive to the issue of mental health, and in particular to schizoaffective disorder, since we have two close people who suffer from it (a mother and a friend). It is a psychiatric illness characterized by symptoms of both schizophrenia (such as hallucinations and delusions) and mood disorders (such as depression or mania). Our goal is to raise awareness about this illness and, more broadly, mental illnesses, to combat the stigmatization that sick people face. We also want to denounce political and social problems related to mental health. Finally, we want to highlight the artistic talents of affected people and question the relationship between art and illness.

As we are feminists (of course ;) we also want to address the subject of intersectional discrimination for sick womens: how being a woman increases discrimination linked to psychological disorder and (vice versa)

We base our creation and search process on interviews, books, texts and images made by our friends.

Visibility

Despite the large number of people affected, these diseases remain poorly understood and affected people are often victims of prejudice. Our friend Alixe, for example, tells us that when she is in crisis on the street, she suffers from the gaze of others, who consider her crazy and do not seek to help her. Or if they try, they often make the situation worse. It’s not that human beings are particularly bad, they are often simply ignorant and fearful of what is different or «strange». So why not tell you what it’s like from the inside? Our ambition is to create images and sounds to take the viewer a moment in Alixe’s mind, and make her live the experience together with us. We want to share our perspective, leave our mark on minds, to build stronger shoulders that those who need it can lean on.

Political and social problems

Various research shows an increase in cases of mental disorders. In Switzerland, for example, a report by Obsan noted a 26% increase in hospitalizations in psychiatric settings for young women aged 10 to 24 in 2021. They claim that approximately 20% to 30% of the Swiss population is affected by a mental disorder. In Spain, more than a third of the population has some mental disorder, the most frequent being anxiety. 59.3% of young people in Spain between 15 and 29 years old acknowledge suffering from mental health problems according to data from the IV Youth Barometer 2023.

Despite these observations, politicians take few measures for better social and labor integration of the affected people. For example, our friend had to wait approximately 5 years after the onset of her illness to obtain disability aid and approximately 12 years to access housing in her name. In addition to accepting her illness, she had to remove with her own hands the obstacles that society put in her way. And that, without a doubt, was the most difficult of the two things.

The fight is on! We know that many people are fighting for the same cause, and we are glad we are not alone. So, if you are an organization or entity that advocates for mental health, you should know that we would be delighted to collaborate with you. For example, we could offer circus and music workshops in psychiatric settings or perform our show for free at public events. Please feel free to contact us if you would like more information and to share this crowdfunding with others.

Art and illness

We know that many renowned artists are or have been affected by mental illness. We want to show this artistic side of sick people and how it can be a tool for development and resilience. We are inspired by the texts and paintings created by our friend and we imagine ourselves exhibiting them during our shows.

What will your support be used for?

Aluminum structure (approximately 5000):

We are asking for your help as we need to finance the creation of a certified aluminum structure which will serve as a stage for our aerial and musical show. We are already in contact with a professional with whom we designed this structure to allow musicians to climb to a height of 5.5 meters and play from there, interacting with other elements such as the trapeze and the rope . Between the two posts 7 and 8 (see image 3), we plan to mount a horizontal ladder for aerial performances and chairs for musicians. The structure will be dismantled into several pieces to facilitate its transport in a car without the need for a van. The total cost of the structure is 5,000 euros

Equipment (approx. 2000 francs/euros)

• system of pulleys and ropes to raise and lower objects during the show.
• Audio equipment such as wired microphones
• Some decorative element even if we will make it largely from recycled materials Management: (approx.1000 francs/euros) Even if we create and produce our show ourselves, we would like to hire an artistic director for a few hours in order to have an outside perspective and some advice.