A student’s art project was mistaken for a bomb on Feb. 3, and Georgia State has yet to be charged, according to Associate Vice President for Public Relations and Marketing Communications Andrea Jones.
Georgia State’s device was spotted during a Martin Luther King memorial and prayer service and caused a halt in traffic in the area.
Interstates 75 and 85 were shut down after a student-made pinhole camera was reported to the authorities as a suspicious package, according to Atlanta Police Department’s Assistant Chief Shawn Jones in a press conference following the incident.
The pinhole camera was attached to the bridge on 14th Street spanning Interstates 75 and 85 by an unnamed student for an assigned art project for a Georgia State class, according to Shawn.
Shawn said the 911 call regarding the project was placed at 12:47 p.m. and later addressed by police personnel.
“After inspecting the package, the decision was made to conduct a controlled disruption of the item and to render it safe. Due to the object possibly being an explosive device and to the safety to resolve the issue, it was necessary to close down 75 and 85 to not cause potential harm to the public as well as to contain the incident scene,” he said.
However, this isn’t the first time a pinhole camera has caused a traffic evacuation. A similar incident occurred in April 2013 when another pinhole camera was found strapped to a bridge above the train tracks in Roanoke, Virginia, according to Petapixel.
Andrea said after the incident Georgia State photography professor Constance Thalken suspected the object was a student’s assignment for her class. Thalken contacted her department head on Feb. 3.
“[The Department Head] told the university attorney and other officials and Georgia State Police reached out to APD. We invited the police to the class Tuesday, where we provided them photos and locations of all of the cameras,” she said.
Neither the professor nor student(s) involved will face disciplinary action by the school, according to Andrea. The students’ identity is also being kept private for their protection.
“We have used this experience as a learning opportunity. The Welch School of Art and Design is reviewing and modifying language in course syllabi to specifically address student work in public spaces to avoid future issues,” she said.
Georgia State released a statement about the incident on Feb. 3.
“Georgia State University sincerely apologizes for the traffic problems resulting yesterday from the mounting of a student camera at the 14th Street Bridge. The camera was one of 18 used by students in an art project and deployed at various locations in the city. Georgia State Police are closely cooperating with the Atlanta Police Department in the removal of all cameras,” the statement reads.
Atlanta Police Department (APD) spokesman Ralph Woolfolk said SWAT, Homeland Security, Georgia State Patrol and Georgia Tech Police responded to the scene. Atlanta Fire was also a responder.
“I myself directed traffic at the intersection of 12th and Williams Street. I was then released by a Motors Unit and drove to the command center,” he said.
Once the package was detonated, it became clear that the object strapped to the bridge contained no explosive material compounds according to Shawn
“What we observed was an object that looked like an explosive. The explosive device always comes in different shapes and sizes as you well know and what may appear to be one thing can easily be something else,” he said.
Georgia Department of Transportation State Bridge Maintenance Engineer Jesse Doyle inspected the bridge after the detonation and deemed it safe, according to Woolfolk.
There were 17 additional art projects throughout Atlanta found and destroyed, according to the APD.
Georgia State Sophomore Delaney Strunk said she commended the student’s imagination but thought the situation intensified further than necessary.
“I think the project overall was a great idea but the handling and the exploding of the project was a little much. If we are gonna use that much force it should be for something that isn’t a homemade camera,” she said.
Lauren Zottarelli, senior student, said the university should already have steps in place to avoid similar situations.
“Atlanta has the busiest and largest airport in the world. That is definitely going to make the city more conscious about safety and responding to situations like this. And also, as a long distance commuter to and from the school, I already know how bad traffic can get. This accident made that day so much worse,” she said.
