The conference "Clown(s)" (https://creationopera.ca/en/evenements/clown-s/) will take place in Montreal from February 5 to 7, 2026, bringing together scholars, artists, and practitioners to reflect on the languages and non-languages of clowns and the sound world of clowning. The conference will occur in conjunction with the world premiere of Ana Sokolović’s opera Clown(s), presented by the Opéra de Montréal. Inspired by Masques et bouffons by Maurice Sand (1859), Clown(s) honours the history of clowns through a clown’s life cycle, from infancy and childhood through old age. Structured in seven non-narrative tableaux, the opera engages with different artforms—puppetry, magie nouvelle (new magic), circus arts, shadow play, and pantomime—and takes inspiration from the performances of Dario Fo and the films of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Jacques Tati, and Federico Fellini.
The unconventional languages of clowns—invented languages, the replacement of words by gestures, etc.—are often cited as a central aspect of their subversive role. Clowns can take on many forms: circus performer, sad clown, court jester, trickster, sacred clown, chou (Beijing opera), commedia dell’arte character, stand-up comic, etc. What connects them is their marginality, their non-conformity, their ability to break conventions and name taboos. Both included in and excluded from dominant discourse, clowns embody the indissociable nature of power and resistance.
We invite presentations in English or French that explore the languages, non-languages, and sound world of clowns across time periods, cultures, and artistic disciplines. We welcome a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, including (but not limited to) musicology, film, theatre studies, anthropology, sociology, art history, literary studies, and psychology. Alongside traditional twenty-minute academic papers, we encourage alternative presentation formats of up to thirty minutes that break with convention, inspired by the theme and spirit of this conference. These include (but are not limited to) performances, artworks, interactive workshops, lecture-recitals, and audiovisual projections.
To submit a proposal, please fill out the following form by June 20, 2025: https://forms.gle/xuTn3ZU5SVpotQ9h8. Each submission must include author’s name, email address, affiliation (if applicable), type of presentation, title, and an abstract of no more than 350 words. For presenters proposing a different format than a twenty-minute talk, we invite the inclusion of sample audio and/or video material directly in the form. The conference welcomes presentation in English and in French and will take place entirely in person. If you submit a proposal, please hold the dates of the conference (February 5–7, 2026) until the announcement of acceptances in early October 2025. For any questions, please contact the conference coordinator at the following address: clowns2026@gmail.com.