APRiCot Garden 2025: Research as Regenerative Practice.“Sad Clown” performance by Clara Saito

Sad Clown is an ongoing performance project by Clara Saito that explores collective and personal grief through the figure of the clown. Inspired by Emmet Kelly and drag, the piece blends theatricality, lip-syncing, and somatic audience interaction to channel complex emotions. Each iteration adapts to its context, creating a raw, cathartic space where sadness becomes energy— something to be screamed, danced, and transformed. Bridging absurdity and vulnerability, Sad Clown reclaims performance as a site for emotional release, resistance, and unexpected joy.