This is Estevan Mortensen, who goes by the stage name Tibirin.

He is here in Edinburgh as a performance artist – one among several – who come to the Royal Mile to take advantage of the crowds.

The crowds come to see the stage performers for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe doing their stuff.

A couple of days ago I was walking on the Royal Mile and I saw Estevan talking to another man. As I got closer I could hear that he was speaking in Spanish.

The thing is that I also photographed Estevan on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh last year. At that time I didn’t know who he was, but I liked the artistry of his dress on his bicycle and I took several shots.

Clothes Maketh The Man

Somehow with him being dressed as an Oxbridge Don racing to lectures on his bicycle, I had thought he was English. How easily I had been led to think this, and for very little in the way of prompts.

After all, just because he is dressed as an Oxbridge Don or a student of Classics doesn’t mean he’s English.

So when I saw him on the street a couple of days ago, we got talking. That’s where I learned his name and that he is from Quito.

We talked about Ecuador (I have been there) and then he told me he now lives in Bath.

And then yesterday when I was again on the Royal Mile, there he was on his bicycle. These are the photos I took of him.