In this article I’ll be discussing some principles of creating captivating performance art. In this case, the art form we will discuss is living statues (alternatively known as street statues). These are performers that become human statues for an audience.
There are three primary ingredients to any great performance:
1. A totally unique concept
2. A totally unique look
3. A totally unique location
We’ll go over each ingredient in a bit more detail soon. But first, let’s talk about how to create the performance itself.
Whether you’re a professional performer trying to make a living, or simply someone who enjoys entertaining people for fun, creating captivating performance art is a great way to interact with your community. Performance art takes many forms: from singing and dancing on a street corner, to putting on a costume and staying perfectly still like a living statue.
In an already crowded world, captivating performances are those that rise above the noise and attract an audience. So what makes people stop? What makes them engage with your act and start watching?
The answer is simple: it’s all about charisma. No matter what form of performance art you want to create, making sure it oozes charisma is crucial.
What is ‘charisma’? It’s the quality in some people that makes everyone around them want to know more; it’s the special something that makes people feel compelled to be near them. And charisma can be learned. In fact, there are specific techniques you can use to cultivate this special quality in yourself and your act. Let me show you how!
It’s in the blood…As a child, I would climb up into the attic and stand (or sit) still for hours, imagining myself to be a statue. My mother would have to call me down for dinner, and even then I’d pretend not to hear her.
I’ve always had an interest in public performance art of all kinds, but as a child I was quite shy. It took years of practice before I was able to pull off my first living statue performance. After that, though, there was no turning back!
The idea is simple enough: you stand (or sit) still like a statue in a public place, dressed and made up to blend in with your surroundings. When someone approaches, you come to life and perform for them. It’s very simple in theory, but it does take some practice.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
The first thing to consider when you set up a living statue performance is the environment that you are going to create. There are two main considerations here: your audience, and the space you will be in.
Your audience is the driving force behind your performance, and it’s important to think about who they are and how they will react to what you do. Are your audience mostly children? Younger people? Older people? What kind of crowd are you working with? Do they have an artistic background or are they completely new to art? These questions will help you decide on an appropriate character for your performance – see my article on creating characters for more information on this topic.
The space in which you will be performing is also very important. The first thing to think about is how much space there is for you, and for your audience. If it’s a busy location such as a busy city street then there might not be much room for either of you, so if possible try and find a place with some breathing room so that people can walk past without bumping into each other or into you!
If your performance area is outdoors then there’s also the weather to think about. Will it be too hot or too cold to stand still? Make sure you take appropriate clothing with
I’ve been a street performing “living statue” for more than three years now, and have performed at hundreds of events, ranging from the smallest of fairs to large scale festivals. I have been asked many times to share my techniques, so I decided to write an article with the most valuable tips that I’ve learned along the way.
First things first: what’s a “living statue?” A living statue is a performer who remains very still while in costume, giving the impression of being a real human statue. As with any type of performance art, there are variations: some statues are painted gold, some are fairly realistic and others more abstract. Some statues remain completely still while others move slightly every few minutes. Some statues interact with the audience and others just ignore them.
Living statues are absolutely captivating to watch. The art of being a living statue is a performance art that takes much practice and skill.
What is a Living Statue?
A living statue is an entertainer who poses as a statue, usually wearing minimal white paint and white clothing, and stands perfectly still for long periods of time. A good performer will remain as still as possible, without any movement at all. The performers’ faces remain expressionless except for occasional subtle twitches of the face muscles. Sometimes the living statues are painted to look like actual statues, or wear elaborate costumes or makeup.
The audience is often encouraged to interact with the living statues by getting close to them or touching them, to find out whether they are real or not. Good performers have mastered the ability to remain perfectly still in any situation, even if people touch them, poke them or hit them!
The art of being a living statue takes much training and practice. Statues are often seen at festivals, fairs and carnivals as well as other events where there are crowds of people watching.
Living statue performers are a staple at festivals, corporate events, and even on the streets. The performer is painted to resemble a statue and is usually dressed in a classic or historical costume. In order to create an amazing performance, you need to be as much of a statue as possible. However, you also need to break this mold at times so that the audience knows that you are alive.
The first step in preparation for becoming a living statue is to create the look. You don’t need any special tools, but if you have access to face paint it will make your job much easier than if you just use normal makeup. Makeup needs to be applied thickly so that it won’t rub off easily and ruin your look. Whether you use face paint or makeup, cover your entire face with one color first and then add darker shades for contouring. When applying the makeup, keep in mind that it should look like stone rather than just like a mask on someone’s face.
Once your makeup is done, choose your outfit carefully. It should not be something that people recognize as a regular outfit worn by people today because then they will think of you as someone wearing a costume rather than as a statue. It should also not be something that would normally be worn by statues