Engineering and construction
Design and construction of circus apparatus and scenographies
Contact et information
technique@cnac.fr
In circus, the apparatus is far more than a tool: it is a partner in research and creation. It stimulates the imagination, suggests new gestures, introduces new constraints—and therefore new forms of writing. Each object opens up a field of possibilities, a form to be explored, engaging the body and inviting the unknown.
To imagine an apparatus is to question gesture itself, transform constraints into resources, and invent new relationships between body, object, and space. Each creation of apparatus thus becomes a driver for renewing practices and giving rise to new artistic forms.
Since its origins, the Centre National des Arts du Cirque has developed a distinctive expertise in the design, fabrication, and experimentation of circus apparatus. This approach has enabled the emergence of original devices that have accompanied the evolution of circus writing and dramaturgy.
At the heart of this dynamic, CNAC’s construction workshop is an essential resource. A space for fabrication and prototyping, it supports pedagogical and artistic projects in close connection with student needs:
- Design and production of teaching apparatus and prototypes
- Support for research and fabrication of original devices
- Design and construction of scenographic systems