Street Levitation Revealed
You have probably seen some impressive examples of floating street levitation in town centers and busy streets where you can see the amazing spectacle of a person, often in the form of a silver or stone statue, who appears to be levitating in mid air, is attracting the attention of the crowd.
This can look really spectacular and there is a lot of attention to detail and imagination that has gone into the creation and decor of the performance by the entertainer,.
You will see above here, a popular you tube video showing the set up of a street entertainer getting his equipment and costume ready for the performance.
You can see from the picture below, that the equipment consists of three parts.
1 ) The seat that is used for sitting on.
2 ) The shaft - which, disguised as a staff or walking stick, extends up from the platform and then into the sleeve of the performer and then all the way down to the seat.
3 ) The platform base, which is covered by some kind of carpet or blanket ( as shown in the photo ), while the shaft and seat are covered by the performer's baggy costume.
Its amazing that a seemingly simple set up can produce such and astounding looking illusion. Respect has to be given to the artists for all their imagination in creating these elaborate costumes.
Also the concentration and dedication required to keep in position for long periods as a floating statue, which is an admirable accomplishment on its own.