This headline is heavily influenced by a visual memory of a cassette with User Your Illusion 1 by Guns N' Roses. The first track is Right Next Door to Hell, and I see it as warning. Falling into popcorn capitalism might be seductive...but it's dangerous. Especially if one cares for cultural capital. The same with Guns N' Roses references. And circus? It's over.
As I was talking to circus director Trolle Rhodin about the art of selling popcorn there were a few things that struck me. First of all he initially approached our conversation with a certain distance. Maybe he thought this was pure irony or a joke? I don't blame him. Popcorn is a seemingly banal topic. I didn't really consider this aspect though. Had I only pin pointed the right questions earlier in the conversation we would have come further and deeper. Another thing I also came to realize is that there were a hesitation to talk about the capitalistic incentives for selling popcorn.
As circus Brazil Jack is an organisation in transformation, with a strive towards being recognized as an performing arts institution/company (specifically by state funding bodies) rather than mere entertainment, the popcorn issue is a a sensitive one to talk about. More than once Trolle ensured me that the main focus is not to force popcorn on the people. The audience should experience the high quality circus art first, and if some happen to buy popcorn over at the bar, go for it!
Some key take aways:
Invvvolve the popcorn in the performance. The more intertwined with a performance, the higher the popcorn value.
Consuming the popcorn should sync with consuming the artwork. The perfect calibration is when the popcorn experience is just an added value that blends seamlessly with the context it's presented in.
Mushroom popcorn is the best. They crack open in a way that creates a great taste experience, yet the audience prefer butterfly popcorn. I read this as "beauty over function".
My own calculation after buying a soda and popcorn at brazil jack is that if apx 200 people buy this combination every show and they play apx 200 shows/year then they should have apx 400.000 dollars on the revenue side for that combination only.
Finally. The popcorn is truly more than a way to make profit for Trolle. I could see how his eyes sparked of joyful memories from a past time. Is it possible to engage with the combination of popcorn and performing arts without becoming sentimental and letting nostalgic under currents flow freely? F*ck yes. Let's find out how.
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I've been reaching out to Shaun Randall to hear more about his thoughts around flippin' seven 3D printed ceramic popcorns with gilded kernels. I haven't heard back yet. Here's his take on what i call The Popcorn Potentialities.
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Falling into popcorn capitalism might be seductive...but it's dangerous. Especially if one cares for cultural capital. The same with Guns N' Roses references. And circus? It's over.
Is it possible to shaer @paragraph newsletters so that @hypersub subscribers collects the nft? Which link to post?
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