- Top Features:
- War Room
- Glenn Greenwald
- Broadsheet
- Joan Walsh
- Camille Paglia
- Since You Asked
- Follow Salon:
Peeping Toms need no longer peep, at least in Santiago, Chile. They can flat-out gape if they want too -- and they've got a lot of company. An 8-by-8-foot glass house has been erected in downtown Santiago, and its resident is a comely 21-year-old actress.
Crowds gather day and night to watch Daniela Tobar shower, dress, entertain guests and go to the bathroom, according to an Associated Press report.
The purpose of the see-through sideshow is to examine how the public feels about a person's right to privacy. Architect Arturo Torres, one of the project's masterminds, said, "The idea is for her to live a completely normal life."
So far, Tobar's life behind glass has been far from normal. On the first day of the two-week experiment, crowds began chanting, "Undress, Undress!" as she stepped out of bed.
The next day, local police visited her and suggested the project be stopped. But Tobar, Torres and Fondart, the government cultural agency that helped put up the $23,000 for the two-week project, will most likely see it through to the end -- and they have the necessary permits to do so.
In the meantime, Chileans remain free to consider the implications of privacy and voyeurism. Or just gawk at the pretty lady.
