[one_half] Flying High New Circus in Bristol | Monica Connell Arts Council England | Monica Connell [/one_half][one_half_last]

Flying High: New Circus in Bristol

This exceptional photographic book by Bristol photographer Monica Connell combines interviews and pictures illustrating the current vibrant circus scene in Bristol.

The book features a foreword by Bim Mason, Artistic Director of the internationally renowned Bristol circus school Circomedia, setting the birth of New Circus in the context of 1980s Thatcherism, the Miners’ Strike, the St Pauls riots, Greenham Common and the arrival of new age traveller refugees from The Battle of the Bean Field.

The travellers who settled in the inner city found themselves drawn into the free party and nascent street art scene inspired by New York hip-hop, punk and reggae. It was from this same movement that Massive Attack and ultimately Banksy emerged.

The book contains more than 50 stunning photographs of performers and performances as well as interviews with key performers, which Connell recorded, transcribed and sympathetically reworked. Each artist’s reminiscence is individual, but together they accumulate into a rich context and a sharp portrait of the contemporary Bristol circus scene.

Publisher: Tangent Books (2011)

[zenith_toggle collapsable=”no” caption=”To Purchase”] Tangent Books

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Monica Connell brilliantly captures the essence of live performance and it is great that she has documented Bristol’s highly creative circus scene.’

Nell Gifford, Founder and Creative Director, Gifford’s Circus July 1, 2011

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‘ … a remarkable insight into the local circus scene, with stunning pictures and interviews with leading artists.’

Bristol Book of the Week – Bristol Evening Post July 1, 2011

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