A Photography Series: London Street Performance

Busking has come to be a part of British city culture since the days of the travelling minstrel, a medieval entertainer who travelled from place to place, especially to sing and recite poetry.

Walking through London, I find that you can absorb and take in a whole selection of the arts currently surrounding us in urban culture. On one particular day in London I decided to bring my camera along and capture a section of performance that I have always found very exciting.

A trip to London is not complete until you have visited Convent Garden which has now become renowned for its regular street performers. The squares are licensed for street performers, making it a popular location.

They perform talents from all over the world every day for about thirty minutes at a time and the Street Performers Association works with Covent Garden Management and Westminster Council to ensure the performance is run smoothly, is safe for performers and audiences alike, and is of a high quality.

This medium of entertainment helps many of the homeless or unemployed to earn money and offers an opportunity for artists to showcase their talents, particularly for musicians to be discovered. Lots of the worlds top talent started their careers performing on the streets. Bon Jovi and Paul McCartney both started busking before they became worldwide celebrities.

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From artists to human art.

Covered in gold or silver paint until their clothes and hat create permanent creases, sitting on their invisible benches and chair with a cane their only point of contact to earth. Adults and young children alike watching for the slightest movement in their face or legs with the same sense of surprise as if a monk finally spoke after years of silence. Walking towards them with absolute caution to take a photo or drop coins in an upturned hat, the inability to prevent the wonder on your face when ‘metal’ turns to flesh before your eyes with movements much like the Tin Man running out of oil. Human statues prompt a very specific reaction, but most notably, the mystery - how do they do it?