the french circus..

"Landep News"

One of my favourite chapters in FRENCH ESSENCE is about the circus. I wanted to include the French circus in my new book because it fulfilled my criteria as a place filled to overflowing with ambience. Ambience is the theme running through FRENCH ESSENCE, because to me, ambience is what distinguishes life in France.

The circus in France is still family run and somewhat old-fashioned in terms of today's acts and performers and it is also a visually exciting experience. To my eye, 'the big top' was an an interior to love - the textures, the colour, the lighting even the simple velvet covered seating. As I stood under the 'big top' before the show and looked at this space I remember feeling that it was equal in its own way to some of the very best designed rooms.

The Circus chapter does include clowns and I know that to many children and adults they are for some reason scary....quite a contradiction when you reflect on the nature of their business. The clowns at this circus were adorable and in particular one man - both Carla and I fell in love with his gentle spirit and as a result there is a double page devoted to his portrait.

Carla took this gorgeous shot of the, 'big top' just before the start of the show in Perpignan in southern France....xv


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