thinking about The Clown

i cannot stop thinking about the figure of the FOOL. back when we were writing poor artists, i spent an entire week researching the figure of the fool, the jester, the clown, the specific role and function this figure (this archetype) performs in theatre, in a story, as a literary device, as a thing that exists in the world. the first draft of the court chapter had a VERY LONG BIT on the tarot card: the FOOL! and how quest was destined to fall off a precipice bc she fooled too close to the sun. the art world, the WORLD makes fools of us all! It is such a nice thing: the FOOL! such a powerful way to administer a reaction TO power. such a clever way of holding on to your own power when faced with greater more powerful violence! :)

for a while, that painting by jan matejko was my desktop background hahahaha — the fool!!!!

i came across this work by an artist called Cherry Velour, and figured that it was worth me basically bookmarking it here on the TWP BLOG. i must close some tabs sometimes or my laptop will overheat. here u go:

The Clown Live performance with Beatrice Gigliuto THE EVENT, H15, Copenhagen / 2022

‘In this performance, I wanted to bring kink back to its roots in play – messy, joyful, and a little ridiculous. While the talented shibari artist Beatrice Gigliuto wrapped me in rope and bent me in and out of shapes, I – a wide-eyed clown – responded to her. When she hit me playfully, I blew into the gag I’d fashioned out of a harmonica. It all culminated in a pie to the face.’

‘I like to think of the Clown as a kind of bimbofication – a transformation where you are reduced to a silly, concentrated, exaggerated self who only exists to perform and entertain.’

‘This piece was a celebration of kink performance as something that can be silly, tender, and joyful. A reminder that domination doesn’t have to be cold, and submission doesn’t have to be stoic. Sometimes, getting what you want means getting humiliated – and grinning through the whipped cream.’

i like the idea of the clown, as a figure, sitting parallel or overlapping with the figure of the bimbo. i often feel like i sit uncomfortably within the category of woman, because being a woman often means accepting that the world treats you like you are a fool (not a FOOL, a fool) – so my reading of this work is clouded by this desire! to become the FOOL, to hang onto some kind of power of my own in the face of violent power. to not have the world take me for a fool by becoming a FOOL of my own making. send in the clowns etc! the court jester is the only one with the agency to call out the king.