Bridge 4 reflection and personal bio

My name is Luwenxi Song, I am a Fashion Design student in Parsons School of Design, class of 2022. Fashion design has always been an interest of mine since I was a child, besides fashion, I am also interested in photography. I describe my style as nostalgic, I like to find inspirations from the past and things that resonate personal memories.

My bridge 4 project is about how Cirque du Soleil Cirque Du Soleil is thriving in 21 century when most circuses are declining due to the rising awareness of animal welfare and new entertainment technologies because it is creating shows that utilize modern technology and fully focus on human actors instead of using animals.

When searching for my topic about the circus, I realized when discussing circus art in 21 century, one of the most significant issues is its decreasing popularity, and it makes me though about the reasons for it.

Through my research, I found out that two initial reasons which cause the decline of the circus industry are technologies’ replacement of traditional live entertainments, and the raising awareness for animal welfare. And then I turned to research some of the most influential circuses in the history and was introduced to Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus founded in 1984, which is a fairly young circus, however, it has become one of the most popular circuses in the world and still growing. Looking through the shows that Cirque du Soleil offers to its audiences, one can easily tell why it is successful: the shows avoided the now controversial use of animals and utilized new technology to create novel experiences. To prove my point, I did some researches on other circuses, including once claimed “the greatest show on earth”, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus which indeed was a very influential cirque with a long history of 147 years. Ringling Bros. was closed in 2017 and one of the main factors of its closing is failing to sustain the circus without the presence of animal performance.

For my studio project, I decided to make a movable sculpture of human artist performing circus art, representing circus without animals.

Besides my personal project, I also participated in the making of the catalog final exhibition’s which I tried graphic design.