Plastic eyes spark art debate and cost concerns in bend
It seems a vandal is at large in Bend, Oregon, "decorating" city sculptures with plastic eyes. While this might appear amusing, removing the eyes is expensive and requires special care to avoid damaging the art.
Bend authorities have issued an appeal on social media to those responsible for placing plastic eyes on city sculptures, such as the statue of two deer or a metal sphere. In their statement, they explained that, although the eyes bring smiles to residents' faces, they also lead to additional costs.
"Googly eyes on our artworks may seem funny, but removing them without harming the sculptures is costly," city council representatives wrote in the post.
Residents divided
Numerous social media users have expressed support for the "decorations." One wrote, "But they're so funny!" Another said, "The eyes must stay. " However, city authorities point out that similar incidents, such as previous decorations with holiday wreaths or Santa hats, were not as problematic because they did not involve glue or substances that could damage the art.
"We didn't endorse the wreaths or Santa hats, but let's stay away from glues, graffiti, and other things that could destroy our artworks," it was explained in the post.
Costly operation
So far, city authorities have spent approximately $2,000 CAD to carefully remove googly eyes from seven out of eight targeted sculptures.
The city council leader emphasized that while councillors want residents to enjoy city art, they also care about its protection. "We want art to be a space for the community to have fun, but we don't want it to be destroyed," he added.
The authorities hope their appeal reaches residents and resolves this unusual problem.
Source: bbc.co.uk
