New York: Union Square
Inspiration: After a busy day about two weeks ago, I decided to walk home instead of taking the subway. Before I knew it, I found myself walking through one of my favorite haunts, Union Square. After hanging out on the steps for a few minutes, I saw this guy making his way to the large open area adjacent to 14th street. He looked odd. But I thought nothing of it at first. Lots of people look "odd" in this town. Sporting the face paint of a Kabuki artist, he strode up within a few feet from the steps where several people were sitting. He wore all white, right down to the cap on his head, with the word "why" stenciled up and down the back and front of his shirt. One of his hands clutched a bag filled with various items and the other wielded a large pizza box. He put down the pizza box and pulled from the bag a six-pack of beer, a venti cup of Starbucks coffee, a book of art with a beautiful shiny cover, a pack of cigarettes and several packs of gum. At that point, I thought he was gearing up for a picnic of sorts. Um, no. At this point, the scene became a bit strange. He pulled the slices of pizza from the box one by one and and formed a circle with them. He shredded the beautiful book and placed the pieces between the pizza slices to complete his circle. Afterward, he placed the beer cans on the pizza slices. As this progressed, I instinctively raised my camera and clicked, hypnotized and perplexed by this morbid ritual. Behind me, one guy said: "What the f---." His friend responded: "Dude, I don't know." Yeah. Exactly. At this point, the Why Guy was chewing gum furiously. He used the sticky wads to secure cigarettes to the tops of the beer cans. For his final act, he picked up the huge cup of coffee, stood in the middle of his circle, gulped the coffee and almost simultaneously spewed it out towards the crowd in arcs of brown. I was so grossed out (I have an unnaturally queasy stomach). But I realized that I can take photographs even while suppressing the desire to throw up. He spun around slowly, spewing coffee in each direction. Another photographer knelt on the ground within a foot of this guy snapping pictures. She probably took way better photos than I did, but in this case, I wasn't about to risk my person and my already lurching stomach for the perfect photographic angle. While spewing coffee, he reached into his pockets and pulled out a fist full of change, which he threw at the crowd as he turned. Then. Without notice. He put the cup down, coffee dripping from his clothing. And left. He walked away leaving a rather expensive mess (think about it: a whole pizza, six-pack of beer, a pack of cigarettes, a book of art, change, gum and a Venti Starbucks coffee amount to at least $75 bucks). Some of the homeless guys who hang out at the square jumped in between the slices and coffee remains to gather up the change. When I looked up, the Why Guy had almost disappeared into the crowds on Broadway, visible only by the "Why" imprinted on his back. Leaving all of us who'd witnessed this act asking the same question.
So . . . have any of you fellow New Yorkers seen this guy before?
Hi there! Thanks for stumbling -- and subsequently commenting! -- upon my blog (myexhalation). Didn't even know anyone was reading it! As for these pictures, all I have to ask: performance art, or a crazy? Or are the two inextricably linked...
Posted by: Melissa | October 25, 2009 at 12:41 AM
Oh my goodness, Melissa . . . I have no idea. I thought it might be performance art too . . . because it seemed so intentional and calculated. But then again, he could very well be mad.
Definitely reading your blog, by the way. Loved the post about the John Mayer song.
Posted by: The Photodiarist | October 25, 2009 at 12:47 AM
No doubt for me, it is performance art....
...criticizing consumer society?
Posted by: sofiasophie | October 25, 2009 at 06:25 AM
Sophiasophie -- quite possible. Actually, that's as good a guess as any.
Posted by: The Photodiarist | October 25, 2009 at 10:58 AM
a great story and pics - thanks for sharing
Posted by: pieter | October 25, 2009 at 11:20 AM
You captured even the tinyest drop of coffee...oh my gosh how gnarly are these pictures and how rad you were there to experence it!!My jaw is on the floor.
and look how he tucks his hand in his pocket. very "sofisticated" almost. If he is demenstrating agenst these things...then why would he leave them there and not throw them away?
Posted by: Cristi | October 25, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Oh my god I would have LOVED to see that! Amazing pics! x
http://photodiarist.typepad.com
Posted by: Becca Dudley | October 25, 2009 at 03:12 PM
why... I quite love this.
Posted by: the stuffed eskimo | October 25, 2009 at 03:42 PM
Excellent series, great moments captured here.
Posted by: Andrei Barbu | October 25, 2009 at 03:49 PM
Thanks for your response, i'll publish it tomorrow! How was your weekend? Thanks for stopping by on Maison Chaplin, come back ;)
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Posted by: MAISON CHAPLIN | October 25, 2009 at 03:54 PM
Beautiful Thanks for posting and sharing.
Posted by: TMWTKM | October 25, 2009 at 07:14 PM
Wow great pics, I have never seen him before which is strange I pass by Union Square often but he looks very interesting.. Nice post
Posted by: Nubiasnonsense | October 25, 2009 at 07:44 PM
This sounds way too calculated to be mere craziness. My guess is other people saw this and talked about it and that was the guy's intent.
http://closetaltar.blogspot.com
Posted by: Style Spy | October 26, 2009 at 09:59 AM
i always walked around with my eye fixing in front of me - so, i dont have your keen sense of your observation ... whatever this guys's intention was, your capture certainly provoked my question of asking "why" .... the one of him spitting water or coffee out was just fantastic .... xx
Posted by: UnoCosa | October 27, 2009 at 01:32 PM
'What the f--'
'Dude, I don't know'.
If that doesn't sum up the Big Apple, circa 2009!
Love that arc of Starbucs Venti Latte drops in mid air. What you described - the revulsion - is how I felt shooting a bullfight in Seville, a few years ago. It almost felt that, by documenting it, by bearing witness, I was separating myself somehow from the carnage going on.
This was worth every word, every shot. Thanks for sticking it out, slugger.
Posted by: jill | October 27, 2009 at 03:39 PM
???
Posted by: Prêt-à-Porter P | November 1, 2009 at 08:56 PM
New York can be a strange, strange place
Posted by: jeanette | November 6, 2009 at 08:43 PM
It was to draw attention to the homeless in the park. Ingenious.
Posted by: Tome | November 14, 2009 at 06:03 PM
Tome: He did it in a rather oblique way . . .
Posted by: The Photodiarist | November 14, 2009 at 06:07 PM
Definitely criticizing consumer society.
Why?
a question so simple yet powerful.
Starbucks, pizza, beer, cigarettes, art(?)
the way I see it, he draws a circle of consumerism and traps himself inside (how metaphorical) . Drank his Starbucks coffee (having Starbucks epitomize American globalization, I'm surprised he didn't have McDonalds). He then spits it out as if fed up with the ideology of it, throws change/money into the air. And leaves the circle.
I don't think he was trying to make us ask why he did that. but he was making us ask why we fall so willingly into the trap of consumerism.
Posted by: malak | November 28, 2009 at 04:35 AM
This is very intense. I agree with your comment, malak!! Great shots Photodiarist, I'd love to see more of your work.
Posted by: Nadine | December 8, 2009 at 10:07 AM