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"Barcelona. Human statues" is project of three years of work that the photographer Annette Stöessel began without expectations of it turning in to book of portraits. But it is more than that. 18 artists who appear open the door to their most intimate side and reveal the face and cross of this work, although many people do not consider it to be as such. And the fact is that the book has served its protagonists as a claim to the way they make a living. "They have chosen a very conscious way of life... It is a job, they are not beggars, they want to be their own bosses, they do their hours and give life to Las Ramblas", stresses Annette.
In spite of having photographed in diverse corners of the world, the camera of this German photographer has exhausted the delights of the "inhabitants" of the Ramblas dels Caputxins and of Santa Monica.
With her happy and familiar character it is easy to imagine her turning in to a pixie or a fairy of the forest like the pictures that appear in this book. Who knows! Perhaps one day she´ll decide to be a part of this big family of human statues that spreads all over the world with the magic of Las Ramblas. I suppose that in some of your trips you have seen human statues, why do you choose Barcelona?I have seen these type of artists in other places but not so many at the same time like in
Las Ramblas ... and they also didn´t impact me in this way, I have never seen this statism either. Here they really are an icon of the city. There are companies that hire them out of Barcelona at major festivals or abroad, where they present them as "statues of
Las Ramblas", this way the boulevard is known thanks to them.
In the pictures characteristic corners appear of the city, but some are missed…There are many more places in Barcelona that are very nice but they turned out to be difficult to photograph. For example, in the
Sagrada Familia or in other buildings the portraits only captured a part of them, and in that way it wouldn’t have any charm. It was a question of the statues, that's why to do the casting of the locations it was to calculate the dimensions with the camera and the lens that I would use later.
Las Ramblas without statues would be…I suppose that it would keep on being charming... They are already typical! They are very important inside the big group of street artists because they are the majority, they are there every day and they are recognized because of that. They are the furniture of the city, that's why they have to be, as the rest of statues really, buildings...
Would you emphasise something that the 18 artists have in common?They like freedom and they are very creative people. I have not taken photos of those who go to the shop and buy a disguise of a monkey or of The Simpsons... That is another story. That's why I have looked to people with the charm of creating a character. They all like contact with people, to interact. Also they coincide in saying that the street is lovely but threatening at the same time. Apart from these general things, every statue, every personality, is another world.
How did they react to the idea of showing their most intimate side?
They all were interested in the documentary (except Don Quijote) because it gave them the opportunity to tell that they are statues with pride, conscience and discipline, and that it is a job that really demands.
A local of Las Ramblas, that strolls through every day, do you think they value their performances?I believe that yes, although they do not pay to them or give them a lot of attention. It is like one more adornment in the urban ambience, like looking at a nice shop window or a statue really, as they appreciate other adornments of Barcelona as buildings, sculptures, flowers... the city has a lot of colour that we all value.
after achieving this work, did you think on some occasion of trying the human statue experience?I used to think it before, last year, before finishing the photography, but I would have to create a disguise and that demands great dedication... And also for shyness, I feel better behind the camera. If I had sufficient time to invent a personage that I like ... it would do it.
And where would you situate yourself?In
Las Ramblas, of course, you have to go there! Because if it is a question of having an experience you cannot put yourself in an alley that does not have any charm.
María Marquéz López
Wednesday, 1 October '03