Temple guardians: Circus

Representations of human archetypes

Inspired by the temple guardians of many cultures, I wanted to create guardians that would sit on barrels between each door to form a protective honour guard for the Wild Temple of Yam. The intention was to create a set of 12 guardians that reflected the nature of the temple as a space for bringing people together and building community by promoting tolerance, diversity, empathy, compassion, connection and belonging.

Circus prop characters were the first set of guardians created for the Wild Temple of Yam in response to the theme of Cirque du Yam. This set of 12 character sculptures took about 9 months to complete and embody representations of the different human archetypes that make up social structures and form community. They average 1m in height and are made from chicken wire and papier-mâché, painted to look like aging circus props.

(View the second set of guardians: Spirit Figure totemic sculptures)

Circus prop guardians for The Wild Temple of Yam, Lower Mangrove

  • The Wild Temple of Yam, Pirates of the CarribeYam, 2017
  • The Wild Temple of Yam, Alice in WonderYam, 2016
  • The Wild Temple of Yam, Cirque du Yam, 2015

Materials used: Circus props

  • Chicken wire
  • Baking paper
  • PVA glue
  • Acrylic paint
  • Sharpie markers
  • Clear waterproof sealer
  • Sand weights
Mr Oswald is the judge. With his fancy ruff, he holds court over all.
Mindy and Mandy are the media twins. They’re a bit two-faced and you can never be sure which one you’ll have to deal with.
Gina is a mining magnate. She’s a bit of a peacock.
Edna is a celebrity drag queen. She’s a bit special and none too steady on her feet
Bill is a policeman. He likes to keep the peace.
Schoolteacher Suz has the door to all knowledge in her butt.
Gary is a property developer. He just loves to build stuff.
Tony is a politician and a bit of a sly fox.
Shazza the homeless chicken has had a hard life.
Bobby is a refugee. It’s a tough life on the seas
Madge is senior citizen. She deserves your respect.
The Guvn’r is the noisy, cheeky town crier. First and foremost, he just loves to be heard.
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One response to “Temple guardians: Circus”

  1. The Wild Temple of Yam – The Artful Bea Avatar
    The Wild Temple of Yam – The Artful Bea

    […] created two different sets of temple guardians in response to the theme of the Wild Yam festival: Circus prop characters and Spirit Figure totemic sculptures. In 2019 for ‘GodYam‘, the ‘guardians’ […]

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