STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

Street Artists in Europe
In the more general context of political commitment, street artists have been involved in
international humanitarian action. One example is ‘Clowns Sans Frontière’, which organised
street arts and circus events in Bosnia during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia and
continues to perform in countries affected by war. Some have also taken part in the antipersonnel
mines campaign. Another example of activism by street artists in civic protest
movements has been the action by street groups against the rise of the far-right Front National in
some French towns. But the political commitment of street artists is expressed most strongly
through the topics they deal with in their performances. They mock government weaknesses and
attack injustices and the failings of modern society 130 .
3.3. Four categories of artists
In his Discours et figures de l’espace public à travers les arts de la rue: La ville en scène,
Philippe Chaudoir identifies four categories of artists: ‘Passeurs’, ‘Marginaux’,
‘Encyclopédistes’ and ‘Troupe’. Then he defines the different approaches of each category.
The ‘Passeurs’ seem to adhere most closely to the principles of a shift in perception. They give
the town new meaning, create social bonds, and make people more conscious of their everyday
surroundings. They alter the way the urban space is perceived and yet they imagine, even claim,
a connection. For them, the town is as much scenery as a product of society. They go back to the
meaning of the town, make it more visible, establish social relationships through their art. Their
ideas are based entirely on a metonymic shift and they bring the imagination into play. Their
performances are very often lacking in narrative structure. They work wholly within a
continuous time framework, making direct, almost reproductive, connections.
The ‘Troupe’ almost always adopts a contrasting approach, seeing the town more as a language.
It bases itself on the theatre. It is detached from, even indifferent to, the main forms of activity
in urban spaces. It mobilises the audience and the various sections of the population as a distinct
social group. Its approach to meaning entails creating specific situations, reflected in the use of
separate narratives. Its attitude to time reflects this more situational dimension, to which its
takeover of the space is central. On the other hand, its approach is sometimes more projective.
The ‘Encyclopédistes’ have a more complex role. They might be seen as another marginal
group, not because of their lack of investment, but perhaps because of a critical over-investment.
Thus they systematically distance themselves from meaning, social relationships and space.
They are critical of the idea that a community can be brought together, even transiently, but
recognise the effectiveness of interaction. They provoke by stimulating the imagination. This
reflexive relationship is manifested particularly in their attitude to time. It is this group that
bases itself most on a re-reading of historical models and on feedback, using the most repetitious
methods but avoiding ritualisation.
The ‘Marginaux’ are on the whole minority groups. They have very few general aims in
common with street arts and are in a sense inward-looking, focusing on the creative act itself.
‘This overview shows how different and mutually supportive approaches create a movement.
They include critical avant-gardes, practical leadership, militancy and pragmatism, troupes that
are not highly mobilised and sometimes imitative, occasional sympathisers. If there is a
movement ..., even if it has internal contradictions, the synthesis that this represents might be
130 Dapporto, Elena, summary from op. cit.
108
PE 375.307