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Josh Kline

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Kari Altmann

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Andrew J Greene

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Pascal, Saxi, Pierre, Laurent - London. October 1989

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[cgscans]

In 1975 a group of young circus fanatics got together under the name of the "CIRQUE BIDON" —the BIDON CIRCUS. What gave this troupe its unique flavour was that it was a genuine return to circus's true atavistic roots with a convoy of twenty-five horses pulling nine magnificent circus wagons as they traveled from village to village. During the eleven years that it roamed throughout France and Italy the circus became enormously popular. But using horses to go adventuring proved difficult in our modern world, where more space is given over to parking lots than to grass. New ambitions sprang up in the hearts of some of the circus's members and they decided to radically change their lifestyle. The saga continued, but under a new name: ARCHAOS, CIRQUE DE CARACTERE — a circus with an unorthodox character and a temperament all its own. In 1986, using horses had become obsolete, so the troupe travelled in semitrailer, trucks. They also came up with a new kind of big top, inventing a dome-shaped circus tent with a spiders web framework of ropes on the inside, and thrilled audiences with their amazing performances. Only two years later, in 1988, Archaos and its bizarre big top had become one of the most popular and sought after circuses in Europe. In 1988, Archaos was made up of 50 performers. The story of Archaos is not one of a single individual, but of a troup, a team of performers working together, and this is what makes Archaos an amazing "idea factory".

- photos by Ian Patrick