Human statues

The earth stopped spinning and came to a standstill this past weekend, along with all of the contestants at the ninth annual World Statues Festival in Arhem, the Netherlands, where motionlessness was the name of the game. John Hoogenboom, 61, one of hundreds of participants, receives some finishing touches as he transforms into a "living statue" for the contest.

Don Quixote, known in real life as Jan Eissens, prepares to do battle with windmills and camera wielding spectators on the streets of Arhem. It took over an hour for Eissens to put on his costume in the backstage area.

Every Don Qixote needs a Sancho Panza. Frits Ehkelkamp is Eissens' partner, alternating between standing completely still and springing to life when a spectator drops a coin in their bucket. Competing in the category Professional at the World Statues Festival, Eissens and Ehkelkamp won this year's Audience Award and a 500 euro ($675) cash prize.

Aaron Ziobrowski from the United States only looked like the strongest statue at this year's competition. He flexed and kissed his biceps with each coin that is placed in his cup. But when it came time to lift the barbell, he failed miserably - and comically - to the delight of the crowd.

Krist Doo, a professional street performer from the Netherlands, was another of the nearly 150 living statues performing at this year's festival. He calls his character "De Contente Mens" - the Content Man.

Kiara (9, front left) and Aylani (6, front right) are astonished when the "De Contente Mens" statue suddenly comes to life and begins to smoke his pipe. The World Statues Festival in Arnhem, the Netherlands is particularly popular among the younger visitors. There is even a special division of the competition for youth, with 60 participants this year.

Andy Train from the UK calls himself "The Gold Man" for obvious reasons. He performs in his home country, often sitting on a bench with his seagull and a plate of fish and chips. Train was a nurse before pursuing comedy and street performance. When people ask why he does it, he says, "I love nothing better than sitting outside a café, just watching people, watching the world go by."

Helena Reis (right) from Portugal has been performing as a living statue since 1999, but her partner only has six months under his belt. Samuel Buton of France plays the accordion when his statue comes to life, while Reis poses. "It's quite amazing that two people who have been completely different levels of experience can get together and do something of equally beautiful," says Reis.

Helena Reis from Porto, Portugal stands frozen until another coin is placed in her cup. She has been performing as a living statue for the past 14 years.

With some 150 statues at this year's World Statues Festival in Arhem, the characters ran the gamut from silly to serious and from present to historical. This statue entitled "De Denker" (The Thinker) clearly fits into the latter category.

John Eicke is a professional street performer from Berlin. His character, "Blanko, John Man" was the winner of the 2013 World Statues Festival. He began the day in all white - but didn't finish that way. With an assortment of colored paints to choose from, this young spectator is eager to help him decorate. Eicke also won the event in 2010 and is the festival's first two-time champion.