Friday, July 12, 2013

The Story of Jessie

Interesting things happen on the elevated New York City park called the High Line
 
Does this remind you of a woman who has, perhaps, doused herself in water to escape the July heat?
No. This isn't a woman who decided to drench herself in water to escape the heat.

It is public art.  Here's the biography of "Jessie":

And now, look what happens when another artist, Jeff Greenspan, puts a tip jar in front of this statue.  The video lasts only a little more than a minute, and has gathered over 1,277,000 views on You Tube.
Poor Jessie.  The subject of a psychological experiment?  A trick played on tourists?  A public art performance?

It makes me wonder, though - what happened to the money the artist collected?  I hope, at least, that he donated it to the High Line.

If you had been there, what do you think you would have done?

14 comments:

  1. I'm pretty sure I would have ignored the tip jar. That move took a lot of bravado!

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    1. What amazes me was the intensity of the reaction - and how this video went viral. Incidentally, I never even knew about the video until I googled "Jessie" to research the artist who created "her". Guess I'm in the wrong circles.

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  2. What a fascinating experiment! I'm not sure what I would have done. I doubt I would have put money in, unless there was some kind of written explanation about what it was for. But I think I'd have stopped to look. Very interesting!

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    1. New York City is the place for the fascinating, the amazing, and advanced level people watching. I think this one was a combination of all three.

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    1. Thank you. If you like pictures of flowers, please come back from time to time.

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  4. How clever to add the tip jar to get attention? If I were there, I'd probably take a pic and post it to Facebook and see who thought it was real! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Your idea sounds great. I wonder if there will be any copy-cats now.

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  5. You find the most interesting things to write about. That's why I look forward to each post. Glad You are contributing to the UBC!

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    1. Thank you, Cheryl. I commented on your blog re some ways that people honor summer in New York City. Walking on the High Line which is accessible to all ages and many disabilities, could be another one. It's even open until 11pm!

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  6. I'm not sure what to make of this. What is the point? Thanks for sharing. It makes me think mankind has gone mad.

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    1. I really don't know what to make of the reactions either. I probably would have thought it was funny myself.

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  7. Aha! I really like the idea.How interesting!

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    1. All kinds of interesting things happen in New York City. It's a great place for people (and statue) watching, both above, at, and below (subway) street level.

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