100 Jugglers

Somewhere in late February 2007, I was drinking a cup of tea and munching on some Fox’s Crunch Cream biscuits. Whilst eating and drinking, I was talking to a friend of mine.

We’re both a little bit obsessive about jugglers and juggling, and we’ve both recently acquired a taste for reading about, and to a small extent, collecting photographs and video footage of great jugglers of the past.

Conversation rambled, and eventually we started talking about how jugglers advertise themselves in order to attract business.

“The great jugglers of the past” would have had press photographs, publicity material, and all manner of physical ephemera. What we know about them is largely informed by collections of such materials.

My friend said that “Promo photos are dead now that everyone has a website.”

I don’t agree entirely. I think promo photos are dying out - but I don’t think they’re dead yet. There must be loads of performers who still have press photos, and/or promo packs to give to agents etc.

To prove my point I rashly claimed that I could probably collect 100 signed photographs of living jugglers, within a year.

In an attempt to bring the whole thing full circle, to make the physical become virtual, I’ve thrown together this website. I’ll use it as a way for me to chart my progress, a place to talk about jugglers, and most importantly to host copies of the photos I collect.

The task may sound ridiculous, it may sound futile, it may even be completely impossible! I’ve got a feeling though, a feeling that I can do it, a feeling that the journey may be worth making just to look at the scenery on the way past…

-Paul