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Commission for Ardberg Distillery

14th May 2024

A fire performer spins a flaming poi in front of the iconic Ardbeg sign on the pier. The circle of flame breaks the brooding sky like a burst of theatricality against the industrial backdrop.

Dark Circus at Ardbeg

There are event gigs, and then there’s Dark Circus at a whisky distillery in torrential weather. Subtlety wasn’t the brief.

Juggler on stilts tossing clubs among whisky barrels in a warehouse.

This commission for Ardbeg’s 2024 Dark Circus––part of their Ardbeg Day celebrations launching the limited‑edition Ardbeg Spectacular whisky––had me chasing performers around the distillery grounds, balancing fire and juggling clubs against sheets of rain and a moody Skye dusk..

Stilt-walking juggler and acrobat perform in the distillery courtyard under moody sky.

It rained. It poured. But the show went on — and in places the skies even cooperated for a moment or two. These shots? Proof that whisky, weather, and circus make for oddly perfect partners.