"There's a Man in The Bean" - New Conspiracy Has Chicago Alderman Inundated With Phone Calls From People Who Believe There's a Man Trapped Inside the Chicago Bean
ArtNet – One of the world’s most beloved public artworks has sparked a bizarre protest movement—from a coalition called “Man in Bean” that claims that Anish Kapoor has locked a man inside his famed sculpture Cloud Gate, popularly known as “The Bean,” in Chicago’s Millennium Park.
The absurd accusation against the 71-year-old artist first surfaced on July 31, during the opening day of the Lollapalooza music festival, as a small group of protesters dressed in black gathered in front of the massive mirrored sculpture. Waving signs and handing out flyers, they demanded that the city of Chicago free the man they insisted was trapped inside Kapoor’s work.
“In 2004, Anish Kapoor, the chief architect of the Bean, stole a baby and put that baby inside the Bean,” one of the protesters said in a video posted to Instagram that has garnered close to 400,000 views. “We’re calling for the immediate release of the man trapped inside the Bean.”
Fine, I'll bite. I'll play directly into the hands of these protesters who are almost certainly just trying to see how much attention they can drum up before dropping the name of their cryptocurrency. I'm not sure if this is exactly how the "Man in Bean" people envisioned their "Man in Bean" operation playing out. But to their credit, they got the attention. To the point that the city of Chicago is being forced to issue official statements, because their 42nd ward alderman is being inundated with phone calls from people demanding the release of the man in the bean.
“I am happy to confirm that a man has not been trapped inside Cloud Gate (aka ‘the Bean’) for the past 21 years. In fact, the man was freed years ago. Further, we can neither confirm nor deny that Soldier Field is actually a flying saucer secretly relocated from Area 51 back in 2003,” Reilly said in a statement.
“I appreciate lighthearted parody as much as the next guy,” he added. “However, this online hoax has led to a heavy uptick in calls to my office. Unfortunately, answering the heavy volume of calls regarding this hoax is ultimately a distraction for my office from the real work we do for the 42nd Ward and City of Chicago each day.”
It should be harder than that launch a successful "Man in Bean" rumor. Just watch these guys at their initial protest. Look at their Instagram videos. Read their "Man in Bean" flier. They're not even trying to keep a straight face.
No way the "Man in Bean" people expected their bit to have this much legs. They probably thought it would make for a halfway funny internet video, and not amount to much more. But their Instagram account gained 34.8k followers in 16 days. USA Today, and The Chicago Sun-Times are publishing articles. The government is releasing statements. Beloved local restaurant Lou Malnati's is corroborating their claim in the replies.
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The "Man in Bean" people probably don't know what to do next. So far, their only move seems to be continuing to double down that they are NOT joking, that they are NOT putting on a performance, and that they will NOT rest until the man in the bean is set free.
“This is fact. We are not performative, we are not satirical and we are not a meme. There is nothing funny about a man being held in captivity in a giant metal structure like Cloud Gate,” Man in Bean told Time Out Chicago, which published a story begging people to stop inundating the alderman with calls about the burgeoning protest movement. “Perhaps if your media outlet would take our cause more seriously, we would be willing to provide more answers to your questions. But, at this time, we have nothing more to say to Big Bean Media."
And if you were curious as to how a man could theoretically survive living inside of the Chicago Bean for over 21 years, the story goes that when Anish Kapoor (the architect of the bean) built his shiny new art prison back in 2004, he equipped the inside with "air and food vents that sustain a meager and desolate life within the chrome". Meaning someone is providing the man in the bean with food on a daily basis. The "Man in Bean" people also claim that when the sun hits the bean just right, you can see the outline of the man on in inside. Although from what I can tell, there is no picture evidence to back that up.
At this point, they gotta get a man inside of there. Or at least stage something where a malnourished man crawls around naked below the bean in the middle of the night. But I swear to god… when naked bean man announces that he's launching a cryptocurrency to help him start a real life… I'm gonna be so pissed. If I'm that Chicago alderman, and I want people to stop calling my office about the fucking man in the bean, I'd beat them to the punch and drop $BEAN coin right now. Nothing kills a fun thing more than people realizing it was all for a crypto.