Protestors claim there’s a man trapped inside Chicago’s Bean sculpture. Why?

Chicago’s Cloud Gate sculpture—better known as The Bean—recently became the subject of a viral conspiracy theory after a group calling itself the Man in Bean Coalition staged a protest claiming there’s been someone living inside the Bean for decades.

What is the ‘Man in The Bean’ conspiracy theory?

The Bean is a sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor that was built at Millennium Park from 2004 to 2006. Now, these protestors have been claiming that Kapoor stole a baby and put him inside the Bean during its construction, where he has subsequently grown into an adult and remains to this day.

“Our cohort of believers theorize that Kapoor built the Bean to be a one way mirror,” reads a post shared to the @maninbean Instagram. “So that when we look at the Bean, we see our reflection… but the man inside the bean looks out to see us all.”

They also allege that an outline of a man can be seen within the Bean when the sun hits the sculpture in a certain way.

@sir_morge #fyp ♬ original sound – Sir_Heistan

The stated aim of the protest and related conspiracy theory is for the man inside the Bean to be freed. Protestors, who began their demonstration during this year’s Lollapalooza music festival, have requested that concerned citizens call the 42nd Ward alderman, Brendan Reilly, to demand as much.

What are Chicago public officials saying?

The viral hoax has gotten big enough for Chicago officials to weigh in on more than one occasion.

“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,” Reilly joked.

However, a statement from his office also noted that there’s been an uptick in calls to his office that is actually becoming a problem: “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.”

YouTuber Philip DeFranco also quizzed Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker on the situation, asking if he would pledge to investigate.

“First of all, I want to be clear that I am not authorized to reveal anything about the man in the Bean,” Pritzker said. “I’m not suggesting there is a man in the Bean or isn’t a man in the Bean, but.”

@philipdefranco Is There A Man In The Bean? Governor Pritzker Can’t Say #chicago #illinois ♬ original sound – Philip DeFranco

What’s the point of all of this?

This isn’t some QAnon situation. We’re all relatively certain the people behind this hoax don’t genuinely believe the conspiracy theory they’re peddling, no matter how seriously they’re taking it.

That said, it remains unclear what the point of it all is. It may just be something born out of boredom, or it may be a protest of some other sort.

DePaul University professor Rob Adler suggested in a statement to Block Club Chicago that perhaps the protestors are doing all this to show “how easy it is to draw up drama over something that seems like life is at stake, but in fact, is just drama,” as a means of highlighting the state of journalism today.

Meanwhile, the group issued this statement to Time Out Chicago:

“THERE IS a man trapped inside of the Chicago Bean. 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. 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.”

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