Shutter On The Street

Standing at the bottom of the Harborplace Amphitheater stood a thin man with a contorted balloon concoction upon his head. To his right stood a champagne bucket half filled with bills and in front of him stood a line of people anxiously awaiting their turn to request an inflated-latex sculpture. Ray Collier is a balloon bender that has been working Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for 18 years.

Ray told me that for the first few years he operated without a permit because the city wouldn’t give him an audition. He would work the harbor until they got tired of him and would throw him out, always to return the next day to sculpt again. Ray even spent 18 hours in city lock up for failing to comply with officers when he was asked to leave and came back later in the day. He raised the money for the $50 fine by receiving tips for his balloon creations. Now that he has his license, he performs freely in the harbor and draws quite a crowd with his creations.

On your next visit to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, look for the man with the crazy balloon hat and drop a few bucks in his champagne bucket and I bet he’ll bend you up something nice.

Taking advantage of the clear skys and warm sunshine we’ve been experiencing lately, I took a trip downtown to get some practice shooting for the project. Many people were visiting the local bars since it was St. Patrick’s Day weekend and where there are people gathered en masse, there are street performers waiting to entertain and pick up tips.

Taking advantage of the holiday, this lad delivered a wee bit o’ the Irish heritage to the pedestrian traffic by way of the bagpipes. His delivery was simple but effective; he stood on the sidewalk with his case opened before him and just played. As he played “Amazing Grace”, the dollars dripped into his case from passers by.

Across the street a sign spinner twirled his giant arrow above his head and behind his back. Sign spinners are a new form of performer that I discovered this year during a trip out to San Diego.  I was thrilled to see them in Baltimore when I returned. They are usually young persons hired to energetically spin signs directing traffic to new store openings or real estate opportunities. Many of them are full of enthusiasm and dance and wave as they rock out to their iPods. I will be looking to discover more about this new urban medium over the coming months.

Over at the Inner Harbor Gallery Amphitheatre, a juggler by the name of “Bert The Nerd” had drawn a large crowd of on lookers with his juggling shenanigans (sorry, I couldn’t help it, the word fit well with the St. Patrick’s theme). Bert The Nerd ended his show by juggling three lit torches atop a 6 foot giraffe unicycle (a giraffe unicycle is one with a chain, or one where the crank arms are not attached directly to the axle). A unique item about Bert was that he had created his own comic book that he was giving away for donations of $10 or more. The comic book supposedly told the story of how he turned the anger he was feeling from having $1,000 worth of gear stolen from his car into creative energy and created the comic book. He encouraged the kids in the crowd to turn their anger and frustration into something creative and positive. I thought it was a great moral and $10 is not a bad price for a 20 minute show and a comic book.

On the way back to the car, I passed a soulful gentleman playing his busted guitar atop a milk crate. He sang in front of a rather large cardboard box to collect his tips. His lackluster guitar had no impact on the passionate hymns that he sung. As I approached him, he stopped mid song and said, “I’ve got the perfect song for you.” I liked that he personalized his performance and he liked that I dropped a few bucks in his box.

Until next time…

Welcome to Shutter on the Street.

This site will feature photographs from Shawn Grimes of all types of street entertainers practicing their art before their captive audiences and give you, the reader, a chance to learn about their craft. The project will begin in the Spring of 2008 and wrap up the following Fall.

People go to the theatre with the purpose of being entertained. They are seated and corralled and forced to focus at the stage before them and there is a set price for viewing the show. In contast, Street performers must draw their crowd from unsuspecting passer-bys. People will interrupt their shopping, touring, or other plans to stop and watch a street performer. Many street performers lose the advantage of an elevated stage and are positioned at the same level as their audience. Patrons must be magnetically drawn in by the performers presence and convinced to donate a sum of money relative to the entertainment received.

The project will begin in the Spring of 2008 and wrap up the following Fall. I will try to post a new photograph each Friday along with a quick blurb about street performing. My focus will encompass a wide range of subjects; from the professional to the commoner and everything in between. Anyone who is providing entertainment to pedestrian traffic is a potential focus for my work. If you are a performer or know of an exceptional performer in the mid-atlantic area that you would like included, feel free to email me at shawn[at]shutteronthestreet[dot]com.

About Me

I am 28 years old and have been interested in photography for the past 6 years. Since I was a small child I have maintained an interest in non-traditional forms of art and entertainment such as side show acts, magic, fire handling, etc. I’ve even taken up a few as hobbies. I’m fascinated by their ability to attract people and draw them in to an impromptu performance.