COSMIC

COSMIC is a project led by the French Federation of Circus Schools (FFEC) and FEDEC between 2020 and 2022. It is aimed at all vocational and leisure school stakeholders, including teachers, students, general, educational and artistic directors and administrative staff. 

Integrating digital technology into circus education 

The aim of COSMIC is to improve the quality of circus education by: 

• introducing circus schools to the use of digital technology in their teaching,

• developing new teaching methodologies based on existing content within schools,

• encouraging the transmission of learning outcomes within schools,

• creating new synergies. 

To do so, the participants used the MemoRekall web application. This enables different types of content (texts, images, music, sketches) to be incorporated in a video. The participants identified the features of the web application that needed to be developed for circus education, which helped to adapt it to the sector’s needs. 

What are COSMIC project outcomes?

COSMIC project has allowed its participants to: 

• share best practice and identify new ways of cooperating to improve the quality of circus education,

• learn about a video application they can use for a variety of teaching purposes, 

• better prepare their students for employment through distance cooperation based on digital tools,

• help shape new features for MemoRekall, to better adapt it to the needs of circus schools,

• contribute to the creation of an educational booklet, a publication that shares each school’s experimentation process. The publication is a valuable tool for other circus schools and institutions that want to build on the outcomes of COSMIC.  

> Download the white paper & the educational booklet

COSMIC project partners 

The project involved a total of 10 partners, including FEDEC, FFEC and 8 circus schools from 7 countries: 

Associated partners  

• Rennes 2 University (FRA) with Clarisse Bardiot, professor of theatre studies and digital humanities who designed the MemoRekall application, assisted by Alexandre Michaan, a Ph.D student in arts and humanities, for the training and the laboratories, and Mei Menassel, a researcher at UPHF, for the evaluation of the project and the writing of the official report. 

• All FFEC-FEDEC members who communicated about the project in their own networks. 

• 4 federations (GBR, ESP, ITA, CHE) & 3 European networks (Circostrada, LLLP, EYCO) for dissemination / communication / advocacy actions. 

• CircusTalk, an independent online resource centre that relays information to the international circus community (articles, news, etc.). 

3 international film festivals joined the project to host an event in collaboration with a partner: