Mission Statement

The Rhizovention creates a space for circus that should be as accessible as possible. To this end, we take into account a wide range of institutional and structural inequalities. We demand a circus convention which is a comfortable and community oriented place for everyone!

The Rhizovention organisation team regularly questions both the organisational processes and the course of Rhizovention with regard to accessibility from different social positions.

The mission statement summarises which actions have already been taken, which topics we are already working on and where we still see room for improvement.

In recent years, we have already made some adjustments to balance out imbalances. We already have an existing process in the following areas:

Intersectionality

• We generally deal with poverty and accessibility
• We maintain a preferential invitation policy for from the BIPoC & Flinta* Environment for trainers and participants as well as for the artists at the show
• We offer tickets at staggered prices and the option for greatly reduced prices
• To support multilingualism, we offer whisper translation for individuals. We are also accompanied by sign language interpreters for ÖGS
• We offer child care at no additional cost for participants with care responsibilities

Circus in capitalism

• The Rhizovention is based on a basic feminist consensus - everyone works in reproduction and care work
• Community spirit instead of individualism - we design the Rhizovention together. Rhizovention is not about improving individual performance but about a shared exchange.
• We address the consumption of addictive substances and group or situation-related mindfulness in this regard. There is a designated area for smoking, the rest of the premises is non-smoking.

Ecology

• We avoid waste - where possible - and are consistently committed to waste separation
• The arrival & Departure by train & Bicycles are supported and encouraged
• We cook vegetarian and vegan, where possible from local businesses, and sometimes we also cook with rescued food. At least 80% of food is of organic origin

Social community

• Our participants are both amateurs and professional circus artists
• There is a communal morning meeting of all participants to distribute the necessary work
• There is an awareness team that is present at all times and provides support in the event of conflicts
• In this way, we promote an open error culture and communication of needs to the entire group

In some areas we are unable to offer a more inclusive organization due to our own situation. Currently we are actively working to improve the following points::

• Anti-racist practice: Rhizovention has not yet managed to design or advertise the space in such a way that BIPoC find easy access to it.
• Fair pay for the artists, organizational team and care work: Due to the difficult funding landscape for circus arts, most of the work is done on a voluntary basis. We are trying our best to be able to pay all employees according to the FairPay guidelines as soon as possible.
• Access for different age groups: So far, Rhizovention - partly due to the funding concept - has been attended by a relatively homogeneous age group. We want a circus in which both the stage and the surrounding area are equally accessible to young and old.
• There are certainly points that are missing here. We are open to ideas that help us achieve our goals and grateful for suggestions.