The Falling Man!

There’s a reason why I don’t look up into the sky while I’m prancing around New York City while shaking my curly tail. Ok, usually it’s because I’m shoving my snout deep into a corner full of urine to give my sense of smell a good workout but the other day, when Daddy was walking me on 23rd Street heading westbound towards 9th Avenue, I looked up and saw a man falling down from the sky. I nearly jumped into my Daddy’s arms from fright before realizing that the falling man was just floating up in the sky. So I parked my butt right on the sidewalk and gave it a closer look despite Daddy tugging me annoyingly from my leash in hopes to get me to continue walking.

After a few unbearably cute pug head-tilts at the unmoving yet seemingly falling figure in the sky and a few confused and worried head-tilts directed at no one in particular on the sidewalk, my Daddy knelt down and gave me a pug kiss and a squeeze. I love it when he does that. I sometimes lick his forehead when he gets his face close to mine, but I digress. My Daddy then began to explain to me that the man falling from the sky was really a sculpture created by a neon artist named Craig Kraft. He explained that the sculpture, which was created in 1995, is a life-size negative cast, which curves inwards—and that at night, the neon lights placed inside the cast illuminate the entire piece. Before this sculpture found his permanent home on the Cell Theatre’s building, Falling Man traveled the world and was displayed in Puerto Rico, Mexico and South Korea. Wow, I thought, barking twice in amazement! Only here in New York City could a dog like me walk by an nondescript building like this with such an adornment hanging off the facade!

Now I don’t know much about art, after all, I’m a simple pug with simple interests like napping, eating and well . . . napping but I would assume that this man represents the concept of the “artist” taking a leap into the unknown considering it hangs from the facade of the Cell Theatre— a modern day salon that leans away from mainstream performances to showcase emerging young artists or older artists who are underrepresented. That’s not a bad assumption from a pug like me who nods off during the middle of the day!

Oh, and in case you were wondering, Daddy gave me a whole bunch of soft-chew treats after we left the spot on the sidewalk below this sculpture—all and all, it was a good walk!

Enjoy