David Schwimmer Is Now The Voice Of The Bean, And He'd Like To Call You
By Margaret Paulson in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 7, 2015 8:50PM
Have you ever wondered what The Bean (formally known as Cloud Gate) would say if it could talk? Perhaps “Oo that tickles,” or “Get your filthy paws off me, man-child!”
Wonder no more. Simply approach The Bean, wave your phone in front of a nearby plaque, and you’ll receive a call from the mirrored monument. (Its photo even pops up in your caller ID so you know it’s just the friendly Bean calling and it's OK to pick up!)
In actuality, you’ll receive a call with a recorded monologue from non-other than David Schwimmer, speaking as The Bean. If you’re into it, there are 26 other public monuments and statues that will tell Chicagoans and visitors what they’re thinking and how they fit in with Chicago history.
The monologues are part of a public art project by Sing London, who chose Chicago as the first city for its U.S. debut. Through the one-year project, funded by the Richard Driehaus Foundation, artists, writers and others with Chicago roots have written and recorded two-minute monologues for 27 statues across the city. Other featured voices include that of Shonda Rimes, Renée Fleming and Steve Carell.
Other talking statues include the 50-foot Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, the bronze cow outside the cultural center, one of the lions outside The Field Museum, the Abe Lincoln statue in Lincoln Park, and a statue of Copernicus, among others.
The organization has plans to bring monologues to four other statues in Chicago through a contest for locals. Sing London debuted in Britain and also has talking statues in Berlin. The organization is also looking to bring public monuments alive in Philadelphia, D.C., or Boston next.
[H/T Wall Street Journal]