Blue Aeroplanes, 'Anti-Gravity'

A little preview of the shoot from earlier this year with photographer Jon Rowley and the Blue Aeroplanes in anticipation of the release of the bands new album 'Anti-Gravity'. The album is set for release on vinyl from Monday 20th June and you can get yours here.

Cabaret Abattoir

Had a great night performing and stilt walking for Cabaret Abattoir on Saturday. I made some Dogma-inspired bloody wing stumps with beautiful feathered shoulder pads for the occasion, photos are now up at www.joe-clarke.com

The Birthday of the Infanta

Last autumn I was invited by the lovely director Emily Gray of Trestle Theatre Company to their arts base in London to discuss my ideas and inspiration for a stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Birthday of the Infanta, after having spent three months earlier on in the year developing my take on the bittersweet fairy tale.
Watching the one-woman whirlwind that is actress Georgina Roberts in rehearsals, I could tell this was going to be an exciting show to witness. Georgina is a superb mistress of transformation, moving from her portrayal of each character to the next with such ease and imagination that makes her performance an absolute delight to behold.

Trestle Company's 'The Birthday of the Infanta' is now touring at various venues throughout London, Bath and others from the beginning of March right up until May. You can book tickets here

Bound

Filming the music video for US band Mindless Faith's new single 'Bound'. Underground caverns seem to be my thing right now. And Jack Daniels. Well, it was cold down there.

Photos by www.joe-clarke.com

The Fleece, Bristol launch

photos by Kaja Photography

Stilt walking for the crowd last weekend at the Fleece launch night, headlined by cult Bristol art-rockers The Blue Aeroplanes....

......aaaand (several drinks later) invited on stage for a great big encore of Breaking In My Heart, which was fabulously riotous and squishy (10 aeroplanes, 1 stage). Thanks guys!

The Goblin King's Court of Disorder

photos courtesy of Joe Clarke and Marcus T

I love traveling to ye olde London towne. Especially when I'm not the one driving. And especially when it's to perform at a rather exciting new Guerilla Zoo event in the great big caverns underneath ye olde London Bridge - The Goblin King's Court of Disorder!

In between romping around the underground like a giant pixie on my stilts, I was fortunate to make friends with some beautiful creatures.

Highlight of my evening? Having a chat backstage with the enchanted legendary artist himself, Brian Froud! An absolute gentleman, he came all the way from the south coast to give a guest appearance and delighted us all with his tales of how the Dark Crystal and Labyrinth came into being. His son Toby, of course, played the baby that David Bowie kidnaps in Labyrinth. He's a puppet maker and stilt walker too don'cha know?

There are more photos to feast your eyes upon here:
http://www.guerrillazoo.com/goblin-king-s-court-of-disorder-photo-gallery/
and here:
http://photos.marcust.com/Events/Oct-2010-Goblin-Ball-CrowdArt/15019405_LKsnXk#!i=1121749833&k=gT8SG

Watch this space for more Goblin King events in 2012.....

Guerilla Goblins

Come one and come all mischevious revellers of the night, for a fantastical evening of enchantment and debauchery at The Goblin King's Court of Disorder!
I will be performing here with Pariah Circus alongside the likes of the wonderful Mister Joe Black, La Shark and Twisted Cirque!
Also expect art installations from the awesomely talented Cliff Wallace and Lulu Create AS WELL as a guest appearance by the legendary artist and designer of 'The Labyrinth' and 'Dark Crystal' films, BRIAN FROUD!

Costumes or formal attire with masks are strongly recommended.

Tickets:
£20 Adv / £25 Door
£60 VIP (Ticket x2, a bottle of ancient champagne & special goblin gifts!)

Venue:
The cavernous troll chambers under London Bridge, 29 Weston St, London SE1 3RR
Nr Transport: London Bridge Station

For full line-up and tickets, visit http://www.guerrillazoo.com

The Infanta

 

... And the Infanta frowned, and her dainty rose-leaf lips curled in pretty disdain. 'For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts,' she cried, and she ran out into the garden.

Nor was he alone

'...It was a monster, the most grotesque monster he had ever beheld. Not properly shaped, as all other people were, but hunchbacked, and crooked-limbed...'

Character Design

'...The little Dwarf looked in wonder all round him, and was half- afraid to go on. The strange silent horsemen that galloped so swiftly through the long glades without making any noise, seemed to him like those terrible phantoms of whom he had heard the charcoal- burners speaking--the Comprachos, who hunt only at night, and if they meet a man, turn him into a hind, and chase him...'

Both characters are based on those found in Oscar Wilde's 'The Birthday of The Infanta'. With my interpretation of the story, I have been playing around with the idea of the 'Comprachicos' or 'child-snatchers'. According to Spanish folklore (and wikipedia), these were woodland dwellers who bought unwanted babies from whores and then physically mutilated them in order to sell them as entertainment to the popular freakshows...

Hence, playing with this idea of 'made' freakism - the first character, the little Dwarf of Wilde's story. He is found running wild through the woods and brought to dance before the Infanta, who leads him on by throwing her white rose at him and fluttering her eyelashes, so that by the end of the dance the little dwarf is madly in love with her. But he doesn't realize the tragic truth about his own hideous appearance until the end of the story....

The unnaturally conjoined monkeys are based on the gipsy monkeys who make a brief appearance in the story, also performing for the Infanta.

In progress...

Currently working on a self-directed project for my final few months of university, based on Oscar Wilde's short story 'The Birthday of The Infanta'. I love this story and have wanted to illustrate it since i first read it.  The dark undertones running through Wilde's stories make for a perfect twisted fairy tale....

Grand Guignol

Commission for an upcoming 'wrong rockabilly' event from Devil Kicks Dancehall, inspired by fin de siecle back-street Parisian horror theatre.

Sissies Stay Home!