Naked Wall Street "Workers" Arrested This Morning

Outside of Starbucks on Pine Street this morning. (Photo by Joshua Hirsch)

If you saw some naked people this morning it might be refreshing to know it wasn't for an ad campaign—instead, it was for art. Artist Zefrey Throwell got 50 people together around Wall Street, all to impersonate different occupations in that area—and for a few moments, they got naked for their work. Videos and photos of Throwell's Ocularpation: Wall Street project have been surfacing (send your our way!), as reports come in that at least a few participants were detained for their roles in it.

The NY Times reports that just after 7 a.m., police detained three people involved—they were dressed (or not dressed) as a dog walker, a janitor, and a stock broker. (At press time, there have been no reports of any participants playing the role of Sad Panda.)

Throwell says he wanted "to expose the realities of working on the nation’s financial artery as a commentary on the state of the economy." Which is definitely where people's minds naturally go when they see naked ladies.

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By Jen Carlson in Arts and Events on August 1, 2011 10:44 AM

Comments [rss]

jboy61

"Art"... you can take a shit on a plate and if someone with a lot of money buys it its known as "art"... its such b.s.

robingee

Wow you really have an original opinion there, and so eloquently stated.

M Kienan Briscoe

I work at the Starbucks on Pine Street, and didn't get a chance to look outside because we were so busy...I was really hoping she would be ugly.

Sharada Prasad Mohanty

Awesome. My Cheeky son will definitely love it. No task for him.

http://funnyandspicy.com/cheek...

PicoPhreako69

That is one pretty woman (even slightly out of focus).

soothsayer

here's what one of the arrested had to say
http://nudistnaturistamerica.o...

Officer, putting on the handcuffs- "Here you go, is that what you wanted??"

Me- "No..."

Officer- "What is all this going on?"

Me- "It's an art performance."

Officer- "This isn't art, this is retarded!"

Me- "That's subjective...Isn't it legal for me to be topless anywhere in NYC?"

Officer- "Yeah right what do you think you're doin' walkin around topless like you're walking a dog. You need to come with me and be mentally evaluated, then after that maybe you'll be free to go. It's retarded, this is just stupid pretending to walk a dog with no shirt on. There are children around." (I did not see one child during this performance.)

Me- "Sometimes people pretend to do things in art..."He grabbed my belongings and brought me to sit with 2 other guys in handcuffs. They were a stock trader and a janitor who had totally stripped down during the 5 minute performance. One was told he wouldn't get arrested if he put his clothes back on, but the officer "changed his mind." So we sat there and then took a ride to the precinct to spend 2 hours in jail. We all got a desk release with tickets and a summons for disorderly conduct. My fellow jailbirds also got indecent exposure charges. Just before we were released, an officer (I believe the same one I spoke to earlier) reasserted his opinion that we should've all been mentally evaluated first. Alas, his opinion was disregarded, and they gave us back our stuff, including the janitor broom and my makeshift leash, now bent up and distorted.

Still, pertaining to me personally, I have no idea what laws I broke or why I was even arrested. So far no one, not even the cops themselves, could explain to me what I did wrong. Very upsetting, to say the least.

Rob T Firefly

It seems like she's got grounds for a false arrest suit.

Terry Ward

this kinda thing is exactly why i was an art major

crusher153

me too

Inkognita

"Throwell says he wanted 'to expose the realities of working on the nation’s financial artery as a commentary on the state of the economy.' "

Ha. The real message is that this is the closest thing to transparency that you'll ever see on Wall Street.

hotstepper

titties!!!

that is all.

crusher153

i'm just upset i didn't know about the whole exhibit until i read it here. i appreciate fine art. and damn, she is fine!

thankyou, try the veal!

Roger_the_Shrubber

Just men and women airing out their differences.

FU Boy

I'm never sure if I should applaud your puns, or groan in agony.

Guest

Both mean that you enjoyed the pun. :)

Eric Gordon

Something I learned in art school: "art" is fucking retarded.

crusher153

i'm an artist, wonder if she'd do some modeling for me! lol!

robingee

Anything to do with nudity or Jesus seems so played out by now.

robingee

Edgy.

Angus White

I have to start getting to work earlier.

Guest

THANKS -- EVERYONE IN MY OFFICE THINKS I'M A PERVERT NOW.

NlGGAZ

Why do people use the term "pervert" wrong all the time? Being attracted to healthy, nubile, of age men and women is not perverted but natural. Perversion is when you are attracted to a owl dressed like the hamburgler. Or Sarah Jessica Parker.