‘We became world champions as a group’

Image: Menno Teunissen

Afke Westdijk (38) is married to Stefan (41) and mother of Vasco (4) and June (4 months). She works as a living statue.

“Vasco stood on a stone in the zoo and shouted: ‘Look mom, I’m a living statue!’ Of course it took two seconds, but the idea was fun. Children to whom I give workshops Living Statue Worden also have the greatest fun.

Get the taste

I myself was a living statue for the first time as a teenager. At a festival, a friend and I performed as fairies. It was still a challenge not to laugh at the time, but I really enjoyed it.

The following year I joined Stefan as Mr. and Mrs. Edison. As soon as someone flipped a coin, our lightbulbs lit up and we kissed. We won the second prize in the amateurs and then the ball started rolling. I received more and more requests, so I stopped my studies at the age of 24 and became a full-time Living Statue.

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Living statue

I perform at festivals and fairs as, for example, a mermaid or Greek goddess, but I also work with other artists. In 2014 we became world champions as a group at the World Living Statues Festival with the act De Verwondering. We played that we were evacuated by a soldier in the Second World War with a pram. We also stood still for over half an hour like mannequins in a fashion centre.

Focus

‘How do you do that?’ people sometimes ask me. A matter of focusing on one point and ignoring itching and aches by thinking about something else, such as groceries that I still have to get. In street acts, I only stand in the same position for a few minutes, until I get a coin or the audience says something surprising.

The trick is to hold people’s attention for as long as possible. I look at them just a little longer or give them a wink. That makes the situation uncomfortable, but that’s the fun part. I watch a stoic look carefully change into a smile.

“Fortunately I can handle tickling well”

Kids sometimes squeeze my calves to feel if I’m real. If I also start moving, they are shocked: yes, damn! Even adults sometimes try to provoke me. Then they walk behind and start tickling me. Fortunately, I am prepared for that and I can handle it, so my face remains neat and tidy.”

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