The Coney Island Sideshow is one of the last vestiges of the old-fashioned circus sideshows left anywhere. A number of performance artists have assumed characters of “freaks” and devoted themselves to developing their personas into such characters as Insectavora, the beautiful girl who eats insects, and blockheads such as the Great Fredini and Scott Baker (the Twisted Shockmeister), who use their heads as a prop to perform acts such as hammering nails up their noses and brain flossing. Some men are covered with numerous and elaborate tattoos and could vie for the Illustrated Man title.

The whole operation is reminiscent of a book by Ray Bradbury called Something Wicked This Way Comes, which shows what happens when a dark carnival comes to town and changes the people who come to see it in ways that they did not consciously seek or expect, some in possibly dangerous or undermining ways. It pays to be reminded of the dark side, laced with humor and intelligence, and the outdoor barker who gets you to open your wallet and come inside for the show is one more and possibly the last in a long tradition of folk performance artists.

David Blaine is a controversial magician turned performance artist with acts involving extreme privation, enacted in public places. More popular in NYC than anywhere else, thousands have come to visit him as he lives submerged in a sphere of water for seven days in the plaza at Lincoln Center. For the finale on Monday night, he will perform before a live TV audience, bound in chains underwater while holding his breath for more than nine minutes as he breaks free (hopefully).

All this week, the crowds around him were lining up to pass close to him, with many trying to communicate with him, holding up pictures and cards, and touching the glass of his tank. He seemed to be very happy for the company and the attention, interacting in a mime-like way with his public. Here are more photos, a link to his website, which has many articles and photos, and a video: