Why Do People Do Weird Things?
I've never been a fan of performance art, but this one takes the cake. Several hundred people freezing throughout Grand Central Station in NYC for five minutes. That's it.
From the website:
[via SwissMiss via Gawker]
From the website:
"We got great reactions from the folks who encountered us. Strangers started talking to each other, trying to figure out what was going on. With wireless microphones hidden in our shirts, a few agents and I struck up conversations with folks. I convinced one guy to grab a cell phone from a frozen woman’s hand. He did it, laughing uncontrollably as he gently put it back in her hand. My favorite reaction was from a female cop who witnessed the whole thing from behind her NYPD recruitment booth:So why would you do this? Practically speaking, it accomplishes nothing. But isn't the idea of making people stop in their tracks, wonder about their surroundings, and really think about what they are seeing and experiencing worth something in and of itself?Me: Do you know what that was?
Cop: I have no idea! That is the craziest shit I’ve ever seen in my life, AND I’M A COP!
Me: Ha. Yeah, it was weird.
Cop: You wanna sign up to be in the NYPD?
Me: No thanks."
[via SwissMiss via Gawker]
Labels: being_watched, creativity, vids
2 Comments:
I think this is worthwhile. I imagine that many people who walk through Grand Central Station do so on autopilot, as part of their daily routine, and don't really notice what's around them at all. Hundreds of frozen people brought them out of that and made them be in the moment and notice their surroundings. I think that's a good thing.
I totally agree, Shannon. I think this is supported, too, by the reaction they got - Grand Central essentially broke out in applause. It's as though people were just dying for someone to come along and remind them that life can be...strange/different/fun/thoughtful/off-putting/etc. Those moments are really unique.
—JJ
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