art

Vandalized in Wild Way

Residents of Bend, Oregon, have been getting a big kick out of public art sculptures vandalized with googly eyes. It’s not as harmless as it seems, local officials declare. The glue is damaging the artwork. Then don’t remove them, citizens shoot back.

Illegal art enhancement

Public art installations put the Oregon city of Bend into the national spotlight. Municipal officials added some spiffy sculptures to beautify their traffic roundabouts.

A great look and they should stay that way.

Recently, someone with a sense of humor started strategically applying stick-on googly eyes. The public loves it, “sparking a viral sensation covered widely by news outlets and featured on a popular late-night talk show.

The graffiti-like additions aren’t as valuable as a Banksy but they gather almost as much attention. The city got a kick out them, too.

Officials shared images of the whole set on social media. Almost all of the eyes appear on “installations in the middle of roundabouts that make up its so-called ‘Roundabout Art Route.

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Slapping eyeballs on a big rusty sphere was exactly what was needed to bring it alive.

One of the most popular is a photo featuring a pair of deer. “I think the googly eyes on the deer specifically are a great look, and they should stay that way.” Slapping eyeballs on a big rusty sphere was exactly what was needed to bring it alive.

While the googly eyes placed on the various art pieces around town might give you a chuckle, it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art,” the city notes.

Hundreds of comments

By posting the controversy on Facebook, the city opened the discussion up to the whole world. Their post quickly “received hundreds of comments, with many users saying they liked the googly eyes.” The eyes add a whole new dimension to the public’s interaction with the pieces.

One of the city’s sculpture art pieces is called “Phoenix Rising.” It seems that not everyone is familiar with the legend the firebird represents. “My daughter and I went past the flaming chicken today and shared the biggest laugh. We love the googly eyes. This town is getting to be so stuffy. Let’s have fun!

My daughter and I went past the flaming chicken today and shared the biggest laugh.

The locals don’t really want the “vandalism” cleaned up. The city, many say, “should focus on addressing more important issues, such as homelessness, instead of spending time and money on removing the googly eyes.

They add value to the art the city never saw coming. Officials don’t mind residents interacting with the public sculptures. As long as it’s done in a less permanent fashion.

Over the years, city officials admit, “the city’s sculptures have been adorned with other seasonal decorations, including Santa hats, wreaths and leis.” They leave those alone. They only remove the eyes because they’re glued on.

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The city got a kick out them, too.

Apparently, the adhesive is an exceptionally strong one. “We really encourage our community to engage with the art and have fun. We just need to make sure that we can protect it and that it doesn’t get damaged.

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