STREET ARTISTS IN EUROPE - Fondazione Fitzcarraldo

Street Artists in Europe
Another constant is that their motivations are undeniably ‘atypical’ 135 in many respects:
• motivation: they do not undertake artistic projects to earn money; their main motivation is to
create;
• work structures (multi-activity): most creative artists readily switch from self-employed to
employed status; they may also be heads of companies or civil servants, or combine more
than one role at a time;
• geographical mobility: artists, more than any other workers, have to travel all over Europe
and even the world if they wish to be famous and successful and thus better paid;
• promotion of creative work: the creative dimension tends to be part of every sector of the
conventional and social economy (e.g. publishing, cultural tourism, heritage development,
organisation of events);
• evaluation of the result: artistic success is not necessarily financial or media success;
• financing: artistic innovation and the quality of the cultural sector cannot be judged solely in
terms of return on investment; they require specific forms of government action together
with private and non-commercial contributions, and increasingly involve foreign partners in
international co-productions, which adds considerably to production costs (arranging
finance, travel, etc.).
Although these ‘atypical’ characteristics have an impact on street artists, they are notable for
their strong awareness of their spatial, political and social environment, using the urban fabric to
make people more conscious of places, relationships and practices. Besides their knowledge of
festival traditions and popular skills, the links they create between different disciplines (theatre,
dance, music, plastic arts), and their ambition to widen public access to the arts, they meet the
need for celebration, communication, free expression and a belief in myths. They show
solidarity and they are activists.
Nevertheless, street arts are often seen as events rather than an art form in their own right, and
the development of training, for instance the recent opening of the FAI AR, would help to
increase their standing. The organisation of the profession through European federations and
networks is a step in that direction and Le Temps des arts de la rue in France is an important
step towards the recognition of street arts.
135 McAndrew, C., op. cit.; Capiau, S., op. cit, Menger; Pierre-Michel, op. cit.
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PE 375.307