Hundreds of people showed up to push Chicago’s Bean 7 inches to the left after a viral post claimed a man was trapped inside

Hundreds of people gathered at Millennium Park to attempt to push the famous Cloud Gate sculpture seven inches to the left, as People reports. This massive crowd showed up after an anonymous flyer appeared on streets throughout the city, calling for the first push of the artwork at 12:47 PM. 

The flyer provided no explanation for the request, simply stating, “We need to move the bean seven inches to the left.” However, one invite mentioned that “there is a man trapped inside the bean” and the push would help them “be able to access that door and give the man inside the bean resources.”

The sculpture, which locals call The Bean, is a heavy piece of art. It reportedly weighs 110 tons, so moving it by hand is impossible. Footage from the scene shows a large group of people working together to push the structure in the same direction. Despite the collective effort, the artwork remained firmly in place. It was designed by artist Anish Kapoor and has been a permanent fixture in the park since its unveiling in 2006.

The sculpture is actually anchored to the ground

Even though the task was doomed from the start, the atmosphere was positive. Chicago native Taylor Bennett shared an Instagram clip of the event and expressed how much the gathering impressed her. “So of course we couldn’t really push the Bean, as it weighs 110 tons; however, the community built around this community-building activity blew me away,” she wrote. “I love my city; we love our art and I appreciate the opportunity to connect as a #Chicago.”

The Millennium Park Foundation, which oversees the area, responded to the stunt with a sense of humor. Kathryn Deery, an executive director for the foundation, noted that the group is responsible for preserving the park and its various features. 

“The gathering around Cloud Gate to push it seven inches was a creative and humorous initiative! We were delighted to see so many Chicagoans rallying around one of the city’s most iconic features,” she said in a statement.

Deery acknowledged that the effort was always going to be futile because the sculpture is anchored to the ground. She mentioned that the piece is intended to be touched and interacted with by the public, so the attention was welcomed. 

Security teams kept an eye on the crowd during the event to keep things orderly. Deery confirmed that the sculpture received its usual cleaning once the crowd dispersed. She added that because the park sees so many visitors every day, a few extra handprints on the surface are nothing new.