By Tim Binnall
An Oregon city is divided over the handiwork of a mischievous prankster who has been sticking oversized googly eyes on public art throughout the community. According to a local media report, the curious case came to light last week when the City of Bend took to social media with images of the odd alterations and a request that residents treat the pieces with greater care. Conceding that the googly eyes "might give you a chuckle," they lamented that "it costs money to remove them with care to not damage the art." It was subsequently revealed that eight sculptures have been tagged by the vandal over the past few months, much to the chagrin of community officials who say that they have spent a staggering $1,500 to bring the pieces back to their original state.
Remarkably, the response to the city's plea has been largely split with many people expressing appreciation for what they see as amusing additions to the artwork. "I love it," one resident said of the googly eyes, "I think it brings joy." This was echoed by another individual who wryly mused that the cartoonish alterations "give me the hope to move forward each day." Others in the community expressed skepticism over the sizeable bill to fix the artwork with one resident observing that "these things endure all types of weather and temperature swings on a daily basis. A little bit of adhesive ain’t gonna damage it."
To that end, a city spokesperson explained that the sticky backside of the googly eyes is the cause of the costly damage. "Corten steel can lose rust patches from adhesives, needing chemical treatment to rust evenly," René Mitchell told Oregon Live, "stainless steel requires strong solvents to remove adhesive residue." It remains to be seen whether or not the social media posts and subsequent media attention will cause the vandal to quit or further embolden them. That said, should they be caught, one imagines that they will likely wind up in legal trouble since the city clearly finds the googly eyes to be no laughing matter.