Living Statues
"When I grow up I want to be a Living Statue."
Who says that? I bet nobody ever did. And yet there they are, scattered over London and all down La Rambla in Barcelona too.
Here's a bit of local interest:
"Aah yes, just what I hoped to see when I came to Barcelona. I'll definitely give him some money."
And there was this one:
I'm not so sure what this one was about, except she'd decided upon a bigger bucket:
And lots of people seem to want their photos taken standing next to them:
and again:
Sometimes these statues have a lunch break and you see them chatting to each other and eating crisps, which doesn't seem right, somehow.
Of course, it's highly skilled, all this standing still - - just, er, not that interesting. And as a career choice, I think it sucks. All that putting paint on your face every morning. And all that not moving can't be good for you.
I suppose they brighten the place up a bit but after a while I got a bit bored. Oh, yes, another Living Statue. Hurrah.
I don't know where they come from, or how they decide to do it, or what. The only one I really liked - and the one I actually gave some money to - was this chap.
Because he did lots of amazing tricks with this football - amazing to me, anyway - balancing it on his head, spinning it - - all with tremendous control.
I suppose the thing about keeping still is that we all think we can do it, at least for a while. Whereas this kind of skill is more obvious. It has more of the Fun Factor and more of the Ooh, That's Clever factor. I think that, given the choice, I'd rather watch someone doing something than someone standing still.
Who says that? I bet nobody ever did. And yet there they are, scattered over London and all down La Rambla in Barcelona too.
Here's a bit of local interest:
"Aah yes, just what I hoped to see when I came to Barcelona. I'll definitely give him some money."And there was this one:
I'm not so sure what this one was about, except she'd decided upon a bigger bucket:
And lots of people seem to want their photos taken standing next to them:
and again:
Sometimes these statues have a lunch break and you see them chatting to each other and eating crisps, which doesn't seem right, somehow.Of course, it's highly skilled, all this standing still - - just, er, not that interesting. And as a career choice, I think it sucks. All that putting paint on your face every morning. And all that not moving can't be good for you.
I suppose they brighten the place up a bit but after a while I got a bit bored. Oh, yes, another Living Statue. Hurrah.
I don't know where they come from, or how they decide to do it, or what. The only one I really liked - and the one I actually gave some money to - was this chap.
Because he did lots of amazing tricks with this football - amazing to me, anyway - balancing it on his head, spinning it - - all with tremendous control.I suppose the thing about keeping still is that we all think we can do it, at least for a while. Whereas this kind of skill is more obvious. It has more of the Fun Factor and more of the Ooh, That's Clever factor. I think that, given the choice, I'd rather watch someone doing something than someone standing still.
posted by Daphne at 8:38 pm
7 Comments:
Good for you for giving that guy some money. Must be thankless standing outside doing that all day.
Hang on - if that last one was doing tricks then he wasn't a statue at all! He could have been Ronaldinho himself! Wonder how these living statues would go down on The Headrow in Leeds and is it possible to do a degree in statuism at Leeds Met?
When I'm still, I never get any money for it. Then again I'm either in my recliner watching telle, on the loo with a Readers Digest or in bed.
Actually I'm not too sure I'm very still in bed as I've got a fidgetty leg. Maybe I should make use of it and start taking a football to bed with me.
I'm beginning to see why I'm still single !
I guess the majority of people don't do their work out of choice but need. and they add a bit of colour to the strrets and some are pretty inventive, I vote yes for the living statues!
These things occur because someone with an artistic urge or creative bent and no job must find a way to express it and receive a measure of approval. Better to be doing something than just moping around the house all day reading the want ads, unless you're a living statue, and then you spend a great deal of time in private getting ready to do nothing at all in public except hoping to be admired or noticed or appreciated.
Some people call it "performance art."
I wonder what the statues tell their therapists?
Street theatre is a major and varied artform. I have done it myself. But I am sorry - I don't like living statues. I think it's a pretty poor form of street theatre.
PS Sorry, rhymeswithplague, I must take issue with your comment. I don't think most living statues do it to receive a measure of approval. They do it to earn money. (Of course, a measure of approval is probably welcomed too just not as much as hard cash.)
I'd be rubbish at it. I'm too wriggly. I can't even sit still in a meeting or in church. I quite like living statues though.
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