In times of climate catastrophe, refugee crises and Covid-19, the question of the responsibility that artists and scholars have is becoming increasingly urgent. What is the role of circus within society? How far does this form of art and entertainment correlate with historical and contemporary social interests? How does circus research position itself as a relevant field of research within academia in the 21st century? Those questions will be explored within the series Adventures in Circus Research. Facing a New Decade, curated by academic Dr. Franziska Trapp. By featuring circus researchers, we give them the space to explain the nature and significance of their research directly to the circus community and to highlight the practical impact of their research on the circus world and its relevance for society.

In the fourth article of the series, Elena Lydia Kreusch, researcher, artist, producer and programmer, gives insights into her research on contemporary circus mobilities for which she interviewed contemporary circus artists, touring performance venues and festivals in the European Union. According to Kreusch, a mobility perspective on contemporary circus not only has the potential to enable a better understanding of the artistic practice of contemporary circus, but also to create a bridge to some of the important sociological and political questions of our time– be it with regard to questions of work-life balance, ecology or changing mobile realities during a worldwide pandemic.  As an artist, producer and programmer in t...