A glimpse into the life and career of a living statue
Yasmine Modaresi (she/her) // News Editor
Sophia Filsoofi (she/her) // Illustrator
A unique subculture is flourishing in Vancouver, one where artists use their bodies as a medium for performative art, and bring life and laughter to the city. Nathan Monroe, a street actor who performs as a golden mechanical man throughout Downtown Vancouver and neighbouring cities, is one of these unique figures. He goes by the name Vancouver Silverman.
Monroe never expected to be doing this. “What really kinda started this was [that] I was working at a job I was tired of. I wanted something flexible, something artsy to do that I could still make some money off of,” he explained when asked how he got into his artform. Being an actor by both hobby and trade, Monroe spent his autumns working as a scare actor, but this was only a seasonal gig. Monroe wanted to continue refining his craft, learning new skills within the entertainment arts and making money doing something that he enjoyed. Almost immediately after confiding in his roommate about his desire for a creative employment adventure, “they reached out and told me they knew somebody. His name’s Josh Burns—he goes by Burns the Dragon—and you’ve probably seen him around town in Gastown.”
Shortly after reaching out to Burns the Dragon, Monroe was able to adorn himself in golden paint, prop himself up atop a small, portable stage and pick up shifts as a majestic living statue, travelling across Vancouver and the Tri-Cities. With the constant inflow of tourists throughout the summer season, and Vancouver’s generally diverse population, Monroe reflected during an interview that he never really had a specific demographic in mind for his performances. Rather, he wore many hats as a street performer, almost assuming the role of a behavioural scientist at times as he observed people’s behaviour from afar, recognizing patterns and curating each performance to the unique passer-by who chose to interact with him.
Monroe is a real life Non-Player Character (NPC), and he knows this, even going so far as to embrace the title. To children, he’s often an object of curiosity, and Monroe reflects that, “it’s so funny because they’re terrified but they’re also really curious at the same time. People [sometimes] think I’m a real statue and wanna come touch me and investigate. But for the most part, children like to come up and touch me […] kinda just wave at them and say, ‘Hello’ and they start screaming. Their parents love it.” Being the muse of nightmares to children that are yet to learn about the concept of personal space is certainly an aspiration for many young adults, but as previously mentioned, Monroe engages with a highly diverse demographic of Vancouverites.
While not all adults are receptive to Monroe’s attempts to provide entertainment, he has managed to be a sort of mechanical, NPC wizard to a fair share of happy-go-lucky adults, who enthusiastically accept the side quests that he bestows upon them. Over the summer of 2024, Monroe experienced varying degrees of enthusiasm. “Some people don’t even know what a ‘quest’ is. I have to explain it like a ‘magical journey,’” Monroe reflects, continuing, “[but] when I see someone excited about a quest, I know they’re a gamer.”
Golden pain, socialization and side quests— to an extrovert, being employed as a living statue may sound like the career of a fantastic utopia. But, Monroe’s days can also be filled with challenges that he’s had to overcome on his own. Physical fitness and comfort is one of those challenges, because let’s face it, being completely still and holding animated poses until some happy passer-by decides to interact with you can be tedious work. “When I’m still, I just stare at something and dissociate a little, think about my to-do list,” says Monroe, “When someone drops a tip in my bucket, I come alive like a little magical being.” He mentions trying to stay comfortable, because, “if you’re uncomfortable, you’ll be thinking, ‘Oh crap, I just want to move my legs!’” which he mentions ruins the act.
Moving forward in this growing, global tradition of street performing, Monroe expresses plans of continuing to develop his craft, acquire new skills and maybe even begin incorporating his original poetry into his performances. “This is definitely a huge thing,” Monroe says, “You see it all over the world, and it’s pretty cool to be part of something like that here in Vancouver.”
Locally, the tradition is quite young, and it continues to grow. “Josh Burns started doing this on his own around 2020, and now he’s built a whole team of statues,” says Monroe. This is a team that isn’t confined solely to a Vancouver-based audience anymore. Monroe mentions that, “Through our Instagram, people reach out to us from all over.” And he really means all over. This includes an exciting collaboration involving a YouTuber traveling to Vancouver all the way from Taiwan to film a video documenting a ‘day in the life’ of a living statue.
Once the drab Vancouver weather begins to dry up into waves of heat and smoke, locals and tourists alike can be guaranteed some engaging and interactive performances from actors like Monroe all throughout the city, so keep your eyes peeled for the dazzling NPC’s ready to give you an act or a side quest in exchange for a donation.