Artistic duo Acrojou are rolling in for the Freedom Festival. They tell Will Ramsey about how 'The Wheel House' represents their journey in life.
THERE are two unusual things about Jeni Barnard's house. Firstly, it has been seen by tens of thousands of people. Secondly, and most importantly, it is circular.
The Wheel House, created by Jeni and partner Barney White, has rolled its way across countries from Israel to Russia and France.
A modified version of the gymnastic wheel, the creation sees Jeni and Barney propelling themselves forward by walking inside it.
"We created something that rolls along because of where we are as a company, and where we are in our lives," said Jeni.
"We are nomadic and our lives are about being on the road, about performing and being away from home a lot.
"So it became about this duo who are on a perpetual journey."
The Wheel House, which will be making its way around the streets at this year's Freedom Festival, is the latest creation by Jeni and Barney.
The duo formed their company in 2006, after meeting at the National Centre for Circus Arts in London.
"Barney had come straight from school – he had done dance and was interested in the physical side of side of performance," said Jeni, who had already studied at Circus Media before enrolling.
"He hadn't gone there with the intention of being in a company, whereas I knew I wanted to find someone to work with and set something up."
Naming themselves Acrojou – a word which combines the "acro" of acrobatics and part of the French word for play – the past eight years has seen the company take their work abroad.
With an emphasis on non-verbal theatre, the spectacle is in the duo's movement, their shows have been seen and enjoyed across the world.
Previous shows have included The Jesters – a self-explanatory take on the traditions of the court entertainers – and others, such as Lifted, which make use of their skills with the gymnastic wheel.
"We start from quite a strong concept – we always have an idea of what we want the work to mean," Jeni said.
"There is a lot of symbolism around wheels and circles, so there's a lot of different places you can take that idea.
"For this, we've got an environmental subtext.
"It is a post-apocalyptic love story, based around the relationship of two characters."
Jeni's father, an artisan joiner, worked on the design for the wheel, which will be making its way around the festival.
And part of the intrigue for audience members has been the unusual design.
Kitted out with homely additions, alongside objects they have found on their travels around with the production, the wheel is accompanied by music, blasted out from a hidden sound system.
"It is like a basic house, there's a bed, a chest of drawers and a table," Jeni said.
"Everywhere we go, we find things and add them.
"In Moscow, we found these water bottles with that Cyrillic lettering on them, so added some of those.
"We also lived on a 100-year-old tug on the Thames, so there are nautical things on there from that, such as pressure gauges.
"It is gives a sense of where we have been."Acrojou's The Wheel House: Free to attend at Hull Marina (except where stated) on Friday, September 5, 6pm (city centre), 7.15pm, 8.25pm; Saturday, September 6, 6pm, 7.15pm; Sunday, September 7, noon, 4.30pm, 5.45pm. Acrojou Workshops will also be held on the Saturday at 2.15pm and the Sunday at 2.05pm in Queens Gardens. The workshops last an hour and a half. Visit freedomfestival.co.uk for a full line-up for this year's Freedom Festival.
More Freedom Festival highlights
More Freedom Festival highlights
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