Covent Garden Street Fair: Part Two
1/2 inch open-reel videotape Black & White Sound 03/09/1978 32:05
Summary: Raw black-and-white handheld footage of the Covent Garden Street Fair in August 1978, filmed by Basement project.
Title number: 21153
LSA ID: LSA/27849
Description: The video shows various celebratory moments in the streets. We see a horse-drawn carriage, a clip of a shirtless man bound with rope across his bare chest, a comedy performance by two men dressed up as police officers. The camera zooms in on a sign that reads ‘Covent Garden Community’ then a bundle of balloons above the crowd. A street performance by a wall features a makeshift sign titled ‘National Theatre’ stuck to a wall display on the street. The camera zooms in on a plastered sign that reads, ‘It is hereby ordained by the order of the consul a Marcellus.’ Another man holds up a sign that reads ‘Train Noises’.
We see clowns, a bowling pin juggler on a unicycle among other performances. We see a game unfold in the middle of the street, with kids and adults pie-ing each other with paper plates covered in a nondescript sludge. We watch chaos unfold between the competitors gleefully. A group of female spectators wear bows made of tin foil on their heads. Then, the camera cuts to a group of female dancers wearing dirndls and holding out hankies. Then, we see a calypso musical performance by Black men with steel pan drums and shakers. The film ends with a jazz band on a stage. At one point, the double bass player lies down on the ground, gingerly balancing the bottom of the instrument on his feet while strumming with his fingers. The large crowd cheers and dances along on the field by the stage.
Credits: Basement Project (Producer)
Keywords: Performance; Street festival; Covent Garden; Street Theatre
Locations: Covent Garden
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