1 Unconscious Person Reported
The case of mistaken identity unfolded on Nov. 25 with a 5:32 pm call to the London Metropolitan Police. The caller reported that a person seemed to be unconscious inside Laz Emporium, a gallery in Soho. The lights were on, but the gallery’s doors were locked. About 20 minutes later, “officers forced entry to the address, where they uncovered that the person was in fact a mannequin,” a police spokesperson told Artnet News. “The Met has a duty of care to respond when there is a welfare concern.” 2 Employee Shocked At Police Presence
It turns out an employee of the gallery had just locked up for the day and went upstairs to make a cup of tea, the owner Steve Lazarides told Artnet News. “She came down to find the door off its hinges and two confused police officers!” Hannah Blakemore, the employee, said she was “shocked” to find police officers in the gallery. She said the officers told her “somebody reported that the woman here has not been moving for the last two hours” and that the officers assumed the figure had “a heart attack or she’s overdosed.” 3 Not First Emergency Call for Sculpture
This isn’t the first time the sculpture has provoked a call to authorities. When the piece was on view at the London art fair Decorex in October, paramedics were called. Blakemore told Artnet News the officers lectured her about a sculpture of a human being that looked so real. “The work is to provoke and it’s definitely achieving that,” Blakemore said. 4 Piece Was Custom-Made
The sculpture was commissioned by Lazarides, whose sister Kristina once fainted face-down in a plate of soup. The life-sized piece depicts a woman wearing a yellow hoodie and sneakers and was made with packing tape and foam filler. The work is not for sale but is valued at $22,065. It’s on view at the gallery until December 24. 5 Other Works: Tape Babies, Lollipop Meters
Mark Jenkins, who is based in Washington, D.C., is often described as a “prankster artist.” Some of his past works include life-sized polar bears displayed on city streets and mannequins sleeping in parks to raise awareness of global warming and homelessness, respectively. He has also made giant babies out of cellophane tape, which he perched on city curbs, and turned parking meters into lollipops.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb