About this project

UPDATE: We have a proposed route! Now we just have to edit the details...

Hello people! The Busking Project is a look at the people who entertain in public. Called "Buskers" (or "street performers") they can be found in almost every major city around the world: musicians, jugglers, acrobats, mimes, magicians, painters, dancers, snake charmers, puppeteers, sword swallowers, clowns, and so on.

Buskers exist wherever there are people, which makes the urban landscape the world's largest canvas. It is an all-inclusive art, produced by anyone who has a talent, and enjoyed by anyone at all. I know that every day I'm thankful that there's always someone out there trying to add a little vibrancy to my concrete and steel surroundings.

So, I've been filming and interviewing street performers in New York City for two years, and putting the media (and their contact details) on my website, undercoverny.com. They come from every corner of the world, some escaping turmoil, others looking for a better life or a source of income, some who've decided to live off-the-grid for a while, and many, many talented young artists trying to get something going – think of Bob Dylan, Bob Hope, Beck, Blue Man Group, B. B. King, all of whom started their careers on the street.

I've come to understand the various pressures that affect them, from simple things like the climate (how hot is the sun, and when does it rain), to more complicated issues, like cultural stigmas ("buskers are just bums!"), local traditions, and the often conflicting laws that manage the gap between commerce public expression.

The Busking Project is an examination of street performing worldwide. Traveling across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania, TBP will absorb the global phenomenon of street art and all its regional singularities. We will end up with:

• The Busking Project (book) – it is too early for a synopsis, but we will write an account of our travels; narrative non-fiction with a travel-guide feel (glossy photos and destination driven). Its structure will follow, and be shaped by, the performers we meet and the adventures we encounter.

• www.thebuskingproject.com will be a place to showcase our digital media: photographs, films, writings and interviews. We hope it will also grow to become a leading forum for the displaying and promotion of world street performers.

• The Busking Project (DVD) will be a fine edit of the entire journey in visual and audio form. It will be a perfect companion to the book, as well as a standalone piece. Hopefully showing an eclectic mix of street artists in their working environments.

The money we raise will go towards cameras, computers, vaccinations, tickets, food, accommodation, web hosting and all the other costs involved with setting this type of project up. The more money we raise, the further we'll go.

See more about why we think it's important. Also, check out the Honor Roll in the sidebar for the lovely people who donate! Be the first in your division!