'Sleepwalking' statue scares students

Students at an all-female university in the US have been given the fright of their lives by an unsettlingly realistic statue of a sleep-walking man in his underwear that has been installed on campus.

Shocked students are protesting against the statue, entitled 'Sleepwalker', which is part of an outdoor art exhibit by sculptor Tony Matelli that was set up in a busy area of the Wellesley College campus.

The university's museum director, Lisa Fischman, told The Boston Globe they had placed the stature outside "to connect the exhibition – within the museum – to the campus world beyond".

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"I love the idea of art escaping the museum and muddling the line between what we expect to be inside (art) and what we expect to be outside (life)," Ms Fishman said.

But not everybody has shared Ms Fishman's love for blurring the line between reality and art.

So far more than 300 students have signed a petition calling for the statue's removal.

Zoe Magid, who started the petition, said Ms Fishman's explanation for the statue's location was unsatisfactory.

"We were all really disappointed that she seemed to articulate that she was glad it was starting discussion, but didn't respond to the fact that it's making students on campus feel unsafe, which is not appropriate," Ms Magid said.

"We really feel that if a piece of art makes students feel unsafe, that steps over the line."

At this stage the statue has not been moved.

Source: The Boston Globe, Tony Matelli

Author: Natasha Lee, Approving editor: Kieran Campball