Down near the St. Lawrence market, near the end of August, is an annual event with a variety of different performers: Buskerfest. If you didn’t get a chance to make it down this year, it’s definitely worth checking out next. Photographer Sarah Blais biked to the festival and met with four performers that gave her the inside scoop on what they wear to work in this anniversary edition of The Uniform Project.
For 13 years he has painted himself silver and mimed in front of hundreds of people around the world as a familiar character. Peter Jarvis is ‘Silver Elvis.’ At 11-years-old, Jarvis began watching Soul Train in Grimsby Ontario, where he learned the Robot and perfected it. He won the Canadian Freestyle disco dance championships in 1978 and is still winning the hearts of his audiences today. Jarvis’ uniform depends on the weather — his record for performing in the cold is 13 degrees Celsius for 3 hours, but in late August, on a day hitting 32 degrees, Jarvis rocks his self-designed reflective bomber jacket (it took 30 prototypes to get it perfect). The mirrored squares deflect heat, and in between them cool air can get through. His shoes have to flex and have specific treads on them for his robotic movements, but no matter what, he goes through 5 pairs a year. Jarvis has purchased 132 vintage 1950s silver gloves from Courage My Love over the past 6 years, clearing their stockpile. The job has a lot of wear and tear. His favorite song is “Pocket Full of Dreams” by Elvis Presley.
Next up, Sarah was pulled into the Mental Floss Sideshow, where she met Dr. Charlotte Tann (Snake Oil Pedlar) and Professor Archibald Floss (Carnival Impresario & Human Oddity) aka Karl & Lesley. The married couple have been working together in their Neo-Victorian (not to be mistaken for steam punk) side show for 6 years. Even their wedding was carnival themed, where Karl rocked a blazer and top hat (in photo) down the aisle. Their uniforms are quite odd (like their show), with a variety of trinkets pinned on including Karl’s parasitic twin that is attached to his hat, and barely alive. Lesley makes some of her costumes, and rocks rare vintage finds like her original Edwardian top hat, and her original Danny Pollak brooch (a spoonful of sugar…). Karl’s oddities include a Japanese war metal, the moon pin (a gift from his mother), an original 70’s piece of art he inherited from his grandmother, a pocket watch, walking stick, and a Dick Turpin rally club pin. The couple perform throughout southern Ontario, and continue to collect Neo-Victorian styled pieces for their uniform.
The most odd outfit ever to grace the uniform project would have to be 18-year-old Nicole’s balloon swan dress. She’s been dressing up and roaming around busker events since she was young, but focusing more on this act for the past year. She does a living statue like her idol, Kate Mior, and, when paid, will play violin for the audience (her favorite song to play is the Star Wars theme). Her mother is a master balloon dress maker, who has travelled to Shanghai, Hong Kong, and all around the U.S. with her extraordinary outfits. One time ,the back of Nicole’s dress popped due to the balloons getting too hot in the sun, exposing her white shorts and tank top she wears underneath. She says it’s actually a pretty comfortable uniform to rock… look out for her next year at Buskerfest.
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Sarah Blais shoots Toronto Standard’s Uniform Project. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahblais_.
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