November 2007
ETA was the main large scale event which formed the finale for Arrivals. This ambitious project was a collaboration between up and coming UK circus outfit Bassline, Pierrot Bidon and Les Studios de Cirque de Marseille.
January 2025
We were contacted by John Masters who produced the show who kindly shared these images and his memories of Pierrot and the show - Thanks John
"ETA was a Site specific, multi-media, carnival parade and outdoor circus spectacle in an abandoned wharehouse complex in Kings Cross, central London.
It was produced by the London Borough of Camden with Pierrot Bidon and featured Les Studios de Cirque de Marseille, Bassline Circus and many local artists and community groups.
The show was performed over two nights and its purpose was to celebrate the opening of the new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras Station.
The shows used two stages, a Wheel of Death and aerial performances rigged 15m above the audience. Each show began with a 2km lantern parade through the surrounding streets.
The team from Les Studios spent weeks prior to the event organising workshops with community groups and provided support and advice throughout the rehearsal stages.
In addition to the carnival procession, the show used over 100 participants and required over 50 tonnes of equipment, including three cranes, eight video screens and a 50-piece orchestra."
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And a personal note from me:
"ETA was a great success, but it had a really tight budget and I wish I'd had more money for bigger cranes! more lights! and bigger stages!
7 or 8 years before this event I met Pierrot at a Circus festival in Newcastle where I was managing a tented venue.
Archaos had been a huge inspiration to people like me, living in dirty old trucks and putting up dirty old tents.
Over a glass of bad red wine I told him that I aspired to one day work on a show with him.
Years later, after the last ETA show we were having quite a wild after party with a brass band we had kidnapped from a local pub.
I found Pierrot, again with a glass of not so good wine and I apologised for the lack of budget and the wine.
" Well at least the music is good" he said " And you can try again, next time with more money and better wine "
Sadly that's not possible now.
But the punk spirit of Archaos lives on and has spread over generations - you can see it in shows today"
JM