Just Kidding...

Posted by Sara Green (Marketing and Admin Assistant, Hoipolloi)

Of course we were joking about coincidentally bumping into the Doubtful Guest at the Barbican last Friday but we did have an extremely interesting afternoon taking photos of the creature in an around the estate.

I’ll give you one guess to work out the mug that was inside the massive furry costume for two hours? Of course it was me - I happen to be the right size to fit in it and so was a prime target to be roped in by Simon, Hoipolloi’s Marketing & Touring Manager.

It was actually a very enjoyable afternoon and, despite getting some funny looks from several Barbican residents and being questioned by a curious policeman, it all ran rather smoothly. We took photos everywhere - on the bridges, lying on benches, peeping round columns and even managed to get invited up to a resident’s balcony, whose name, remarkably, was Hugh. (Maybe it was Hugh Hughes in disguise…)

The costume looks pretty impressive and very striking; however it is extremely suffocating not to mention completely restricting. I found it hard to walk, to talk and even to see, making me sort of understand why the creature refuses to listen to the family’s pleas for it to move. Maybe it literally can’t. There’s an interesting thought!

But even though I moan about the uncomfortable costume etc, it was actually quite exciting. To be photographed on location by a talented photographer and be the centre of attention for several hours isn’t all that bad! It was also nice to experience life from the doubtful guest’s perspective. The way it stands, nose pointed outwards, arms by its side is really specific and standing still, staring for minutes at a time made me feel like I was the real creature and I did often drift off into a day dream. Easily done I can assure you.

I think that this was a great opportunity for an aspiring actor and I have some fantastic photos of my debut - although I definitely won’t be using them as headshots in the near future…