Is this taking the protests too far? Occupy Wall Street-inspired artist hangs dummy of banker from telephone wire
Last updated at 12:14 AM on 27th October 2011
Drivers in Miami today were likely doing double takes on Wednesday as they passed what looked like a banker hanging by a noose from a telephone wire alongside a Florida highway.
To accompany his Occupy Wall Street-themed mural, the international graffiti artist known by his street name Above, took his message a step further by adding the rather life-like hanging dummy to his display.
The mannequin is dressed in a black suit with a white collared shirt and red tie.
Scary sideshow: A graffiti artist attached a mannequin to a noose hanging alongside a major Florida highway as a part of the Occupy movement
Clear message: The mural reads 'Give a Wall St banker enough rope and he will hang himself' and was painted by artist Above over the course of a week
'I tried to clothe him and dress him up as if he was what I imiagined a Wall Street banker might wear,' Above said to MailOnline.
He is also holding a briefcase that has a string of what looks like dollar bills.
'It was the cherry on the top of the word play installation,' Above continued.
'It's extremely shocking which is part of the point as well. I think it is really gone too far, but then again I think it's my retaliation to how far Wall St, has gotten in general.
'It is shocking to me when I look at these numbers when I see that one per cent of the people have all of the money,' he continued.
The mannequin was hung next to a mural that he painted along the northbound side of the I-95 highway which stretches from Miami up the east coast.
Making it's connection to the Occupy Wall Street protests, the mural reads 'Give a Wall St banker enough rope and he will hang himself'.
Dark undertones: The dummy was hung on the anniversary of an infamous Florida lynching that took place 77 years earlier
Above explained that he was inspired by the proverb 'If you give a fool enough rope, he will hang himself' and simply adapted it to fit the theme.
Though the mannequin swinging from the noose was clearly intended to be a statement in line with the Occupy protests in Miami, it does just days after another hanging effigy raised tensions in New York.
A black scarecrow was found hanging from a tree in Brooklyn, and though it was a Halloween decoration, it prompted city government officials to protest.
Another reason why the Miami mannequin isn't ideal is that it comes on the 77th anniversary of an infamous lynching that took place in Marianna, Florida.
Though the 1934 lynching took place at the opposite end of the state, it was a major incident and nearly 3,000 spectators attending the mob killing of black man claude Neal, who at the time was accused of killing a white woman. The incident has been back in the news of late because of the anniversary and because Mr Neal's family is suing for $77million in reparations.
'It's super aggressive and over the top but this whole situation is gross and if it brings more light then thats good,' Above said in the interview with MailOnline.
He said that while the hanging dummy is intended to make a bold statement, it does not have any racist undertones.
He was unaware of either the New York scarecrow or the anniversary of the 1934 lynching.
Above timed the creation of his 255-foot long display in conjunction with the economic protests and the Art Basel festival, which will be held in Miami in the beginning of December.
Little is known about Above, who tried to keep is anonymity in order to continue his grafiti work. He confirmed to MailOnline that he is 30 years old and is based out of San Francisco where he is represented by the White Walls gallery.
Travelling is a major part of his job, however, as he writes on his website 'I am homeless due t consistent and frequent world travels'.
Economically minded: The artist, whose street name is 'Above' was clearly trying to get a message across in support of Occupy Wall Street
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2053904/Occupy-Wall-Street-inspired-artist-hangs-banker-dummy-telephone-wire.html#ixzz1cBSg5WeZ
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