Take a stroll through Bend, Oregon and you might encounter a sculpture elegant deer affixed with googly eyes. While delightful, it was not the artist’s intention to create immortal deer-in-the-headlights. And the deer are not alone. Throughout the city, public art sculptures are being transformed with googly eyes.
Like any piece of art, the response has been fixed. The public appears to be delighted with this quirky addition. But local government officials, not so much.
The “Googly Eye Bandit.” That’s what local media have been calling the perpetrator, which could be an individual or a group. No one knows. The Googly Eye Bandit reportedly started their antics a few months ago, targeting public artwork in Bend’s Roundabout Art Route, a city staple that features more than 20 pieces of accessible art.
Besides sticking googly eyes on the deer sculpture, the bandit also left their mark on a six-foot sphere known as “Orb I” and a bright red metal phoenix aptly named “Phoenix Rising” (but which residents call “Flaming Chicken”).
The city’s response. In recent days, the googly-eyed sculptures in Bend have made national and international news. While the bedazzled artworks are certainly eye-catching, it’s been Bend’s response that has captured attention.
In early December, city officials informed the public that at the googly eyes could cause unintended damage to public artworks.
“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 of Bend said in an Instagram post on Dec. 5. “While we don't condone the wreaths, leis and Santa hats, let's stay away from adhesives, graffiti and all things that can damage the art.”
Speaking to the Associated Press, city officials said that it had spent $1,500 to remove the adhesive from seven of the eight sculptures targeted by the bandit
“Adhesives can pull off the paint, wax or other protective coatings on the metals,” Rene Mitchell, Bend’s communication director, told The New York Times. “If paint on steel is chipped, scratched or removed with adhesives, the steel will rust.
Artistic engagement or vandalization? Bend’s message of caution didn’t sit well with some residents. Many people on social media spoke in favor of the googly eyes, while others slammed the city for dedicating time and resources to googly eyes instead of other problems like homelessness or potholes.
“These googly eyes give me the hope to move forward each day,” wrote one user on Instagram.
Some members of Bend’s art community agreed that the googly eyes were a fun touch and helped people interact with the artwork. Pamela Pakker-Kozicki, a co-owner of Ulrich Pakker Studios, learned her husband’s sculpture had been one of the ones chosen by the Googly Eye Bandit.
“Our first reaction is that it’s silly, it’s playful,” Pamela Pakker-Kozicki said. “It is vastly preferable for a piece of public art to have interactions with the public than be ignored.”
However, Pamela Pakker-Kozicki added that it was important for the googly eyes to be easily removable and not damage the artwork.
The legacy of the Googly Eye Bandit. Bend’s googly-eyed artwork and the city’s response to it has quickly gone viral. The incident even appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
“Oh, come on, you’re going to get mad about that?” Colbert said. “It’s fun. And frankly, it’s safer. If Bambi’s mom had had those eyes, maybe she would have seen that hunter coming.”
The city of Bend, meanwhile, is taking pains to assure everyone that it doesn’t hate fun. It hasn’t even gotten the police involved. Mitchell, Bend’s communication director, pointed out that residents have been putting season decorations on the sculptures for years, including Santa hats, wreaths, and leis. The city has no problem with that.
“There was no intent to be heavy-handed, and we certainly understand maybe how that was taken,” Mitchell said. “We own this large collection of public art and really want to bring awareness to the community that applying adhesives does harm the art.”
Images | City of Bend
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