Frozen in time

What would you do if hundreds of people around you simply froze in their steps? This inspiring idea was explored by Improve Elsewhere in Grand Central Station, one of the busiest places in New York.

Here is the original meme:

The normal commuters are quite puzzled, notice the man who actually push one of the frozen, and also the driver who can’t move his car.

People got inspired by this event and to this date there has been 62 “frozen” cities! Some are quite boring in lesser locations, but I like Trafalgar Square in London, Santa Monica in Los Angeles, Martin Place in Sydney, Place Trocadero in Paris and Stazione Termini in Rome.

A special award goes to the people who did it in rain (!) at Powell St in San Fransisco. I’ve seen those places and cannot really imagine what it would feel like to be present.

Grand Central Station in New York city.

So what is the meaning of all this? Improve Elsewhere says that it is “to bring excitement to otherwise unexciting places, and to show that pranks can be good and clean fun, and don’t have to be humiliating”. I can think of a few deeper meanings as well in this age of speed and rush.