Monday, August 1, 2011

Breaking: 'Walk Man' pulled from Tompkins Square Park 3 days after installation


Last Friday, artist Scott Taylor unveiled "Walk Man," his new sculpture for Tompkins Square Park. Yesterday, Agata Olek put a sweater on him.

And last night? late this morning or early afternoon? Someone (or thing!) rammed the sculpture and knocked it over, Patrick Hedlund is reporting at DNAinfo.

Per DNAinfo: “I’m going to pull it,” Taylor said from the scene Monday afternoon, noting that he planned to rent a truck to cart the 7-foot-tall steel figure back to his Lower East Side home. “I’m afraid to put it back here.”

20 comments:

esquared™ said...

“I’m afraid to put it back here"

she should have been afraid to put it there in the first place

Anonymous said...

Oh boo, what goddamn lowlife had to knock it over? I liked that thing; a spot of pure white amidst the greenery and dirt of the park.

Anonymous said...

We don't want it here if you're scared

jw said...

I wondered how long it would last since it's not attached to the ground or chained to the fence.

Marty Wombacher said...

The Walk Man is living up to his name.

Roger_Paw said...

You know, we just can't have nice things!

Owlie said...

Why do so many people stink? They have nothing positive to add to society and are jealous of everything someone else does so...they try and destroy the other person's efforts and now everyone else is denied the pleasure of someone new and different. I don't blame the artist for wanting to take it back. When an artist creates something they want it appreciated not desecrated. .

Melanie said...

I will miss him..I never got to meet him.

Anonymous said...

sad that art isn't safe in the park

Anonymous said...

It's a collaboration, not an attack.

Anonymous said...

I told you to electrify that sucker!

Jeremiah Moss said...

still, there's something gratifying in knowing that art still has to be tough to survive Tompkins.

Anonymous said...

like I said previously..... bland, banal art foisted upon the public.

maybe put something better there and people will respect it.

Anonymous said...

IT WAS THE RATS. THE RATS, I SAY!

Eden Bee said...

It was obviously The Smurfs. In League with that Christmas Tree which should still be up.

Anonymous said...

Thank God! The Walkman had to go!

Anonymous said...

I like to see art in the park, but this sculpture is beyond wack. It's just so corporate and inoffensive and unimaginative and BLAH.

The sweater livelied it up ... the ramming was probs rude, yes, but my god -- toughen up Walk Man! You are the symbol of walking in NYC traffic and you wee-wee-wee all the way home at the first sign of hostility? Where is your street cred, man? The old "WALK/DONT WALK" letters would never put up with this shit! If they got rammed they'd fucking stand up the next day, battered and ready to brawl!

I'm sure there's some nice office building in Midtown where you can rest peacefully next to the security desk. I can't promise that security folks won't also find you super lame, art-wise, but at least you'll be safe. From sweaters.

Owlie said...

Since someone who remains anonymous would like to see art in the park, I can't wait to see what they have to offer which in their opinion would be good enough for TSP.
It is amazing to me that anyone can justify theft and destruction, but when it's done to them ,they are the biggest and loudest complainers.

Anonymous said...

By all means, criticize my anonymity, because "Owlie" is such a hardcore identifier, lolz.

I don't "justify theft and destruction," I simply laugh at shitty public art, as we all should.

"But when it's done to them ,they are the biggest and loudest complainers"

sorry, but that is some word salad there

What's good enough for TP? Have you even been to the park in the last 30 years? The art is all around you, friend.

Anonymous said...

I thought this was one of the more boring stories of EV Grieve....Perhaps we can lay it to rest now....