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Statue Of Guy In His Underwear Freaks Out Students At Wellesley College: PHOTOS

sleepwalker  WellesleyArtist Tony Matelli probably didn't mean to cause such a stir when he installed his sculpture Sleepwalker on the Wellesley campus.

Then again, when an almost-naked man appears wandering around on the campus of an all-girls school, what else do you expect to happen?

Matelli is currently exhibiting his work at Wellesley's Davis Museum but the hyper-realistic sculpture was installed outdoors this week.

Some students have already started a Change.Org petition to have the statue removed:

[T]his highly lifelike sculpture has, within just a few hours of its outdoor installation, become a source of apprehension, fear, and triggering thoughts regarding sexual assault for many members of our campus community...

While it may appear humorous, or thought-provoking to some, it has already become a source of undue stress for many Wellesley College students, the majority of whom live, study, and work in this space.

But Davis Museum director Lisa Fischman is sticking by guns:

Matelli's Sleepwalker — considered up close — is a man in deep sleep. Arms outstretched, eyes closed, he appears vulnerable and unaware against the snowy backdrop of the space around him. He is not naked. He is profoundly passive. He is inert, as sculpture. But he does inspire narrative. He appears to have drifted away from wherever he belongs and one wonder why; one wonders also how he has gotten so lost, so off course. He is a figure of pathos, and one that warrants measured consideration. Perhaps he carries metaphorical weight.

Art provokes dialogue, and discourse is the core of education. In that spirit, I am enormously glad to have your response.

Not entirely surprisingly, Sleepwalker has become a bit of a novelty, with students, journalists and photographers snapping  selfies with the nearly nude narcoleptic.

Check out some of their photos below.

— Eugene Marshall (@eugenemarshall) February 4, 2014

— elena creef (@elenacreef) February 5, 2014

— David Wade (@davidwade) February 5, 2014

— Calah Brooks (@CalahBrooks) February 5, 2014

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