A few weeks back, the internet was awash with the image of a Frog Man from Manchester. The picture is a beautifully chaotic snapshot: a humanoid frog waits at a zebra crossing, their finger curved towards the button like a renaissance painting; above their head glows the green man from a traffic light; one passerby seems to be snickering whilst the other looks on in bewilderment.
In quantum physics they say you can change something simply by observing it. The Frog – to go by their proper name – is not a follower of this rule. They’d be out on zebra crossings whether you were watching or not. The Frog doesn’t care if there’s a camera to snap them. The Frog doesn’t even speak. Christ, the Frog is apparently 93.75 years old, according to their Instagram.
How do we know this? Because we caught up with Simon, the Frog’s handler of sorts, to learn more about the duo’s complicated relationship and to see what inspires an anthropomorphic frog to roam the North West. Our conversation has been edited, restructured, and condensed for clarity.
STAT: First off, could you introduce yourself?
Simon: My name’s Simon Woolham. AKA the Frog. AKA Dr Simon Woolham. AKA curator. AKA artist. AKA lecturer. I grew up in Wythenshawe, which is maybe the bottom end of STAT Magazine’s borders.
I teach at the University of Huddersfield, where I’m a fractional lecturer. I did my PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University, which was then called Miriad. I also co-ran Paper Gallery for 12 years as well in Manchester. I’m also in a band called L.A.S.H. And, yeah, I have a very good friend – a very, very, very close friend – called the Frog.
So how did your journey into art begin in Wythenshawe?
Oh my gosh, what a question. I did bloody awful at school. I joined the Army, but at the same time became a vegetarian goth. I trained for a year and I thought: “hang on – vegetarian, goth, passes out to blood and definitely couldn’t kill anyone – maybe not such a good idea.”
So instead I ended up doing an engineering Youth Training Scheme (YTS). I did engineering for a year, graphic design for a year, and jumped ship to another YTS. Then eventually a close friend of mine found this little sketchbook that I’d been writing and drawing in and said I was really good. Long story short, I ended up doing a foundation, did my degree at MMU, then my MA at Chelsea College of Art in London. Straight after I won a free studio that was one floor above Gavin Turk.
Tell me about the Frog. How would you describe your relationship?
Okay, so my mate the Frog definitely questions me. Keeps me on toes, my hands… or my head. The Frog shakes me about, but I also shake the Frog about. We’re similar in that we both write, we both perform, we both explore the boundaries of placemaking. We both explore the boundaries of conversation. We both hold up a mirror. In fact, the Frog probably holds up the bigger mirror. And when I say “holds up a mirror,” they get humans to react in the moment. So, for example, a security guard in a town hall. Now there’s a story!
I used to be a hunt saboteur, I’ve been a vegetarian since 1988. I’m very, sort of, understanding of the complexities of the world, but the Frog goes a little bit deeper for me. And a little bit deeper for them as well. I should mention that the Frog actually grew out of a collaboration with the artist Ruby Tingle and the deep conversation between our ideas around our practice.
Is the Frog after reactions from people? Like from the security guard you mentioned?
Not necessarily. Reaction is complex, of course, because people react in all sorts of ways. Some people run away, some people absolutely embrace and hug. Some people want a selfie. Some people grab the Frog by the arm and chuck them out. Some humans play games with the Frog, all sorts of things. I suppose it’s more about drawing out conversations, reflecting on why people might go and hide. Why people might throw the Frog out. The Frog is super reactionary. They’re considerate of others, which is really, really important.
If someone reacts badly to it, you know, to the point of crying, the Frog’ll find a way to walk away or do a very tentative high five. The Frog’s tagline is “adapt and survive” – adapting to environments, situations.
I should say that the Frog generally doesn’t speak. It’s like an extension of Marcel Marceau, you know [Simon does a mime gesture]. But sometimes they sing. I sometimes give roles to the Frog. I’ve given the Frog the role of alternative town cryer and a big bell and they’ve hung out in spaces and they pick up on conversations. Then the Frog goes in and blarts out all those bits of conversations. I remember one time the Frog heard somebody who was trapped in a toilet and they had to shout out to get someone to help and they were really upset [laughs].
The Frog’s never been in a fight, but they have been chucked out of specific places, where I think at the end of the day, that person didn’t feel comfortable, felt threatened and under the cosh of the institution. But in that example, a couple of seconds before the Frog had teenagers and kids and adults having selfies with the Frog and having fun. You know what I mean?
Anyway, I have lots of frog heads. I think I’ve uh, I’ve now got eight.
What is it about frogs in the public imagination? Wind in the Willows, Frog and Toad… Is the Frog inspired by any famous amphibians?
It’s drawn from lots of places. There are those references to Wind in the Willows, McCartney’s frog chorus. But actually if you delve into the representation of frogs across millennia they’re actually something much more embedded in our culture, especially our folk cultures, where a frog is the symbol of fraternity, but also related to witchcraft.
I’m always reading about amphibians. They are used in both positive and negative connotations. Another thing I’ve just suddenly thought of is the secretion of a frog is used in medicine, and in particular for PTSD. Not long after meeting the Frog, we were invited to be a part of a performance for the closing down with Manchester Museum along with Ruby, particularly in the Egyptology section.
The Frog was wearing a gold suit and transformed from a death mask to a golden frog head. When we think of cultures from that era, a lot of things were performed through the brain, and coincidentally a month after that performance I had a brain tumour removed through my nose; I had what’s called a pituitary adenoma. I don’t produce any testosterone as a consequence of having the operation. And of course, after any operation like that you have PTSD. The Frog had only started like a year before this operation, but it’s almost changed my understanding of it.
I’m thinking about how frogs and toads adapt in terms of their shape, in terms of their texture, in terms of their colour. I have different outfits, from a shellsuit to things that we have bought from charity shops – often from the place where the Frog performs. This is my hairy frog [he holds up a frog head] because you do get hairy frogs – these are hair extensions from a charity shop. This one was used for a performance at The White Hotel in Salford.
What was it like to see that photo of the Frog go viral?
The photo was taken at a zebra crossing in Castlefield. On the day I was with a filmmaker, Jay. We were making a second frog film – I’ve made one already which is the Frog roaming around the market in Macclesfield.
We wanted to make another film where I got the train from Macclesfield into Manchester and then roamed the culture. I also had a fashion student with me who wanted to get work experience, so we were an interesting trio.
The Frog got dressed on the train. I put one of my frog heads on for a little bit, but of course, if you go into Piccadilly station with a frog head, you could cause trouble. As soon as we got through the doors of Piccadilly, I dropped my bag, put the head on and didn’t take it off for four hours.
The image is of me pressing the green button on the zebra crossing. Which of course, then relates to Frogger. A few days later I was teaching and a student ran up to me and said: “Have you seen this?!” And I’m like: “What?” He’s like: “You’ve gone viral, you’re everywhere!” What? Have I? How?
It was first on Manchester’s Reddit then Twitter/X, then gone onto the Archbishop of Banterbury Insta. I remember this particular student asking if they could be my social media manager. And I’m like: “What, Simon your tutor or the Frog?” And they say: “No, just just the Frog.”
What do you think it was about that image that made people respond?
If we think of a road with a nondescript building behind it, that’s very everyday. I suppose it’s the non-everyday, clearly-human person dressed as a frog. And being on a zebra crossing. And there being a green traffic man in the photo. I also had my gloves with tendrils dripping down and you could see them touching the traffic light. I think all that in the mix created the plethora of interest.
Can I meet the Frog now?
[He leaves and returns with a frog mask]
Oh, hello!
I know you only communicate through sign and sometimes singing.
[The Frog blows kisses, mimes a love heart and a chest bump]
How did it feel to see yourself go viral?
[The Frog does the so-so hand gesture]
Oh, so-so?
[The Frog continues to mime]
Maybe put Simon back on and we’ll say goodbye? But thank you, Frog!
[Simon returns, without a frog head]
Simon: One thing I was gonna say is that I tell my students to express themselves and do it in the most appropriate way. Don’t leave any stone unturned. Yeah. Always ask questions of yourself or always ask questions of others. That’s the Frog. You know what I mean?
You can find more performances and writing from Simon and the Frog @simonwoolham and @thefrogperformer, respectively.
You can watch the uncut video version of this interview by supporting STAT through Patreon on the Solidarity Supporter tier, where you’ll get latest issues delivered direct to your door, access to the digital back catalogue, and exclusive videos and interviews.
You must be logged in to post a comment.