DEPARTMENT FOR CURRICULUM, LEVEL LIFELONG LEARNING AND EMPLOYABILITY 7 - 8 Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes Educational Assessment Unit Annual Examinations for Middle Schools 2019 YEAR 8 ENGLISH COMPREHENSION TEXT Text 1 Living Statues – the Art of not falling over 1 Although the first living statue can be traced back to the ancient Greeks where members of the public would pose for famous sculptors looking to mould their 5 marble, realistically, the living statue as we know it, first appeared in the 19th century as a circus performance. PT Barnum displayed living statues as part of his circus tours, a peculiar curiosity to the spectators’ 10 minds. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, living statues became more widely known thanks to the emergence of the art form known as ‘tableaux vivants’; a group 15 of actors would pose and be lit in a particular way so as to appear like paintings. The resulting performance was often shot on camera or performed on stage to the amazement of spectators. 20 Since that time, living statues have featured prominently in both art and film – “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Hot Fuzz” are two films that have shown living statues on screen. Moving from the inside to the outside, even street performances have flourished in the intervening years as various living statues appeared near famous landmarks all over Europe 25 such as Covent Garden in London, La Rambla in Barcelona and lately also in Republic Street in Valletta. Living statues are a magnet for tourists, only moving when money is placed in front of their plinth. As it turns out, being a living statue is not that easy: a living statue will do “solitude” sessions of 30 minutes to an hour followed by a quick five- 30 minute break and then repeat…and this can go on for several hours. It is taxing on the body and a wibble or a wobble can ruin their performance. Some living statues can go for an hour without blinking whilst also making sure that people don’t see them breathe. Unbelievably, the living statue world is a highly competitive one. As they 35 make money mainly from tourists, multiple statues will inevitably end up English – Comprehension Text – Year 8 – L7 to L8 – 2019 Page 1 of 2 congregating in the same area. If no money is thrown in front of the living statue, the performer does not get paid that day. Nonetheless, those who do their job well can earn up to €250 a day. For the living statue élite, it is possible to abandon the streets and enter posh corporate galas where 40 companies will often hire living statues and rent them out for corporate gigs, promotions and other events. If you are a living statue or intrigued by the prospect of becoming one, there is only one place for you – Arnhem, Netherlands. Every year, towards the end of summer, it hosts the World Living Statue Festival 45 complete with the World Championship of Living Statues, where hundreds of statues and thousands more visitors congregate each year. No wonder that it is the perfect place to get noticed especially considering that afterwards all the living statues take part in a massive parade through the city! Adapted from http://allthatsinteresting.com/living-statues Text 2 LIVING HUMAN STATUES AGENCY! Hire a living human statue for the price of €350! Have the luxury of a person performing for three 30-minute sessions Choose from Gold, Silver or Bronze statues Perfect for providing entertainment and adding an artistic touch to your event Available acts include almost every theme you can think of ranging from sports (Olympics, football, cricket); historical (Greco-Roman, medieval, Knights of St John); celebrities (Hollywood, fashion mannequins and royalty). For more information send us an email on: [email protected] Adapted from https://www.alivenetwork.com/bandpage.asp?bandname=Living%20Human%20Statues Page 2 of 2 English – Comprehension Text – Year 8 – L7 to L8 – 2019 .