BAZZAR Set Designer Simon Guilbault wanted to push the interaction between space and performer, and create a structure the performers could climb on, be on top of, move through, and really become one with. Cantilever structures, gravity-defying bridges, and tension based structures, provided great inspiration for Simon Guilbault. He worked closely with expert engineers to create a strikingly unusual set design that seems to challenge science and physics. As he puts it, “The performance lab, visually speaking, is a matter of lines and metal supports and how separate pieces can be linked. You don’t really understand how its made or holds together. There are so many bizarre angles. It’s very chaotic and seems to float in space with just a few anchor points.”

BAZZAR Director Susan Gaudreau challenged the set design, “I wanted a set that could be like a LEGO block. A structure that depending on how you add or take away, creates a different space and emotion.” Moving parts are therefore heavily integrated, such as brilliant mirrors which can be moved around by the artists. “Everything can change, nothing is fixed,” says Simon Guilbault. Reflective and transparent colors of blue and violet support the vibrant, brightly coloured troupe. Light catches beautifully and comes through the structure to create striking shadow effects. All of this sits within the Big Top, which stands at 19 meters (62 feet) high and is 41 meters (135 feet) in diameter.

In the end, the result is incredibly sculptural and artistic.