It’s inevitable… there’s some clowning around at every job site when a show is being set up or taken down, but it’s nothing quite like what this Mexican designer experiences on a regular basis. For the past eight years, . Abraham De La Cruz Merida has been lighting clowns, acrobats and assorted other performers in a variety of circuses.

The Guadalajara-born LD got involved in this unique branch of lighting through his father, who is a technician for Mexican circuses. It’s proven to be a natural fit for a designer who prides himself in achieving balance between sometimes conflicting demands. Aside from creating exciting colorful looks that fit the spirit of the circus, he must also be careful with his color corrections and light angles, not to distract the performers in the rink as they execute their precisely choreographed moves.

This is a challenge that this talented young designer has met well in his work for some of Mexico’s most popular circuses like Circo Grand Bardum, Circo Atayde HNOS and Circo Americano among others. In this interview, De La Cruz shares his insights into circus light and circus life.

You mentioned before that you have to be careful not to interfere with the vision of acrobats when you light their performances. How do you accomplish that?
“It is a somewhat difficult task to accomplish this, but not impossible if you pay careful attention to detail. We do a lot of color correction to make sure our light does not distract or harm the artists during their performances.”

What are the other big challenges of lighting a circus?
“Really, the one thing that is always a top concern is time.
We have to move fast, because everything in a circus moves fast. So, time is the big challenge.”

What is the best thing about lighting a circus?
“There are many rewards, but the best thing about lighting a circus is that there are no limits to your creativity. You can pretty much do anything.”

What is your least favorite thing about lighting a circus?
“Managing the fixtures. We are always moving so you have to be careful to take care of them. Every venue is different so you always have to figure out fixture placement. Plus at the start of a circus show there are a lot of people moving about to prepare things. So you have to protect your fixtures from damage.”

Do you ever light clowns at your circus? How do you reflect their fun loving spirit in light? Do you use different colors?
“With clowns we almost always use rainbow effects. That brings a smile to everyone’s face. The lighting is happy and fun.”

Do you travel a lot with your circus? What is that like? How do you take care of and maintain your lights during travel?
“Yes, I do travel a lot. It’s amazing, I have always liked to travel and visit all kinds of places. When I travel as part of a circus, I also have to be aware of my work responsibilities. I have to look after my lighting fixtures to keep them safe on the road. We are regularly cleaning and checking them.
The constant travel makes demands on them.”