Circo minimo, 2012
Miniature amphitheater, ephemeral piece made to order.
Poplar plywood, hinge screws.
Dimensions: 420 x 420 x 91(h) cm

Developed between 2012 and 2013 - during an art residency at the Villa Medici in Rome (Italy) - Circo minimo is a mobile stage designed according to the rules established by the Roman architect Vitruvius in his volume De architectura (approx. 15 BC). The project takes its name from the Circus Maximus, the largest mass entertainment venue built in the ancient Rome amidst the Palatine and Aventine hills. In between piece of furniture and micro-architecture, Circo minimo is relatively small (about 4.5 metres of diameter): a feature that makes it suitable for performances and debates of small groups of people (around 20). Made of poplar plywood, its lightweight frame can be dismantled and reassembled quickly in order to move it from one place to another during an event. Encouraging self-construction, the structure of Circo minimo is always produced and built in situ, based on the original plans provided by Vadrot. Several models have been produced since 2013; notably during the festival Entre cour et jardin in Dijon (2013-2016), at the Château de Champlitte in the East of France (2016) and at Les Tanneries, a contemporary art center in Amilly, near Paris (2016).

Photographs: Giovanni De Angelis, Eric Degoutte, Olivier Vadrot, Frédéric Bonnemaison, Elsa Michaud.