Enter the most unlikely setting for a circus, a factory. One where the workers are acrobats and the machines are circus props.
Welcome to Birdhouse Factory by Cirque Mechanics.
A place where spectators will watch a contortionist perform on a turntable powered by unicyclists, they will be captivated by the trapeze artist flying high thanks to the spins of an acrobat inside a giant gear-like wheel and they will be stunned when the trampoline wall artists defy the laws of physics by virtually flying and walking on air. All the while they will be giggling at the antics of the comedic characters, impressed by the acro-dancing and enchanted by the story of laughter, love, flight and birdhouses.
Birdhouse Factory was inspired in part by the masterful industry murals of Mexican-born artist Diego Rivera, the outrageous illustrations of cartoonist Rube Goldberg and the slap-stick style humor of Charlie Chaplin's film "Modern Times". While its inspirations make Birdhouse Factory artful, nostalgic and funny, the true essence of the show comes from the circus.
This is a simple story of daily life in a “widgets” factory circa 1935, where workers are brought together by the most unlikely of events, a bird accidentally injured by the main steam boiler. The accident and caring for the bird, brings the workers closer and inspires them to break away from the efficiency and monotony of the assembly-line mentality and display their true inner talents and abilities. In the process, they use their bodies and machines to build birdhouses in a less efficient albeit joyful and soulful way.
Birdhouse Factory delivers a timeless message of hope, camaraderie and the power of the collaborative human spirit when presented with adversity. Although conceptualized prior to the pandemic, and inspired by the Great Depression, Birdhouse Factory addresses the challenges faced by industry and workers during unprecedented times. The story is one of imaginative recovery, where humans create magic when working together towards common goals.
