Iron-Oxide was born in 2006 from Chloë Dear’s passion for vertiginous outdoor performance. Since its formation the company has specialized in producing daring outdoor shows and has established itself as one of Scotland’s leading large-scale companies. Iron-Oxide mixes aerial work, original live music, highly physical choreography and intricate imagery to create spectacular performances that stretch the imaginations of its creators and audiences.

The company has a strong commitment to supporting the growing Scottish street theatre and circus community and produces the work of a number of artists including Ramesh Meyyappan, Oceanallover, Adura Onashile and Strange Bird Zirkus.

SNAILS & KETCHUP
By Ramesh Meyyappan in association with Iron-Oxide.

Inspired by Italo Calvino’s ‘The Baron in the Trees’, SNAILS & KETCHUP is the darkly comic tale of a dysfunctional family and follows a son taking to the trees to live an arboreal existence, escaping his brutal home environment for the solace of the forest.

Powerfully told through solo performer Ramesh Meyyappan’s masterful storytelling, it uses physical performance, an ingenious aerial set and aerial choreography, animation and a complementary live score to poignantly unfold the lives of a young boy and his sibling, from the traumatic birth of the twins to a typical family dinner...

Ramesh’s outstanding command of his own physicality and extensive imagination allow him to embody the four members of this quirky family. He reminds us that despite familial love being unconditional, it is sometimes impossible to co-exist with those we hold dear.

Snails & Ketchup has been commissioned by the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad project Unlimited, principally funded by the National Lottery through the Olympic Lottery Distributer. It is supported by Singapore International Foundation, Creative Scotland, the Esplanade (Singapore) and Made In Scotland.

Please visit www.rameshmeyyappan.com for further details.

THE TIDE MACHINE
A celebration of life’s tenacity, ferocity and ingenuity...
Performed by Oceanallover. Produced by Iron-Oxide.

A bold dramatisation of intertidal life: idiosyncratic creatures emerge from their lairs and converge, spinning and jousting within the turbulence of the tidal zone. Extraordinary mechanicals, dazzling theatricality, extravagant costumes and live music spectacularly animate life between the tide lines and explore the myths of the mysterious influence of the moon upon the water.

A kinetic platform, the Tide Machine itself, creates the centrepiece of the show and has several tide-powered devices that provide a real-time reading of tidal actions.

Please visit www.thetidemachine.com for further details.

CARGO
Created and produced by Iron-Oxide.
Co-produced with the Edinburgh Mela in 2010.

Weaving together physical performance, an impressive life size set, dramatic water-effects and mesmerizing live music, CARGO uses universal imagery to tell the stories of a handful of strange yet familiar characters. Following a young girl’s mystical quest in search of a place to call home, CARGO undulates between eerie fairytale-like scenes and water-soaked, smoke-infused Terry Gilliamesque drama. Beyond the high drama and visually striking performance, CARGO is an invitation to look at why and how people migrate, whether it be for a better life, to escape a past, for a new way of living or to find… themselves.

CARGO is now being toured in co-production with host venues and festivals, with the project’s core team working closely with local artists and technicians.

“Dazzling and gorgeously imaginative… a tidal wave of creative genius…”
The Metro

ORNITHOLOGY
Created by Strange Bird Zirkus. Produced by Iron-Oxide.

We watch birds as we watch people. More precisely, we watch people as we watch birds. Sometimes we watch pretty strange birds. ORNITHOLOGY is a reflection about watching and being watched. Watching is often misused and the line between a curious regard and a lack of respect is very thin. Especially if we consider the person we are watching to be different.

Please visit www.strangebirdzirkus.com for further details.

GIRL
New work in development by Adura Onashile, produced by Iron-Oxide.

Inspired by the piece, Girl, written by the Antiguan writer, Jamaica Kincaid, Adura is exploring the themes of oppression, religion, gender, culture and post colonialism from a female point of view that will lead to a new solo work of interdisciplinary theatre.

Iron-Oxide has undertaken a number of large-scale one-off commissions including TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, a crane based aerial performance as part of Edinburgh’s 2007 Christmas celebrations; FEET FIRST (in collaboration with Boilerhouse), a 2009 New Year’s Day that turned the Royal Mile into a magical and surreal open air theatre showcasing the work of over 150 Scottish artists and performers ranging from intimate visual installations to large-scale aerial spectaculars and promenade pieces.

The company is currently working on the Opening Ceremony for the National Museum of Scotland.

In addition to her work with the company, Chloë is very involved in the strategic development of and advocacy for physical performance (street, circus and physical theatre) in Scotland and internationally. She is convenor of Articulation, Scotland’s umbrella body for these sectors and is part of Circostrada a European network for circus and street arts development.

Chloë also produces the Edinburgh Mela
www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk