Not currently on display at the V&A

The audience at Zippos Circus, Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, London 2017

Drawing
2017 (drawn)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This sketch was made during a performance of Zippos Circus in the Circus Megadome at Winter Wonderland, the annual fair in London's Hyde Park, established in 2006, that runs from November to January. The artist, the Brighton-based illustrator author, poet performer and teacher Curtis Tappenden, works at incredibly rapid speed, and only by the light afforded in the tent. He visits many circuses and has made hundreds of lightning drawings capturing the moment at the ringside.

The audience is depicted before the performance or during the interval when ringside staff sell souvenirs to the audience. A child is show here buying a light sabre, a popular battery-operated toy that can flash in different colours. Selling souvenirs and food and drink are important income generating tools for circuses, as they are for many large theatres especially during long runs.



Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleThe audience at Zippos Circus, Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, London 2017 (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Chinagraph wax pencil on cartridge paper
Brief description
The audience at Zippos Circus, Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, London 2017. Chinagraph wax pencil drawing by Curtis Tappenden
Physical description
Lightning action sketch on orange cartridge paper of the audience at Zippos Circus, Winter Wonderland 2017, sitting round the ring at the interval or before the performance, where a member of staff is selling light sabres to a child in the ring.
Dimensions
  • Height: 25.3cm
  • Width: 38.1cm
Marks and inscriptions
Signed by the artist recto in pencil
Translation
CURTIS TAPPENDEN
Credit line
Given by the artist
Summary
This sketch was made during a performance of Zippos Circus in the Circus Megadome at Winter Wonderland, the annual fair in London's Hyde Park, established in 2006, that runs from November to January. The artist, the Brighton-based illustrator author, poet performer and teacher Curtis Tappenden, works at incredibly rapid speed, and only by the light afforded in the tent. He visits many circuses and has made hundreds of lightning drawings capturing the moment at the ringside.

The audience is depicted before the performance or during the interval when ringside staff sell souvenirs to the audience. A child is show here buying a light sabre, a popular battery-operated toy that can flash in different colours. Selling souvenirs and food and drink are important income generating tools for circuses, as they are for many large theatres especially during long runs.

Collection
Accession number
S.122-2018

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Record createdSeptember 6, 2018
Record URL
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