The easiest way to deface a public work of art is probably by turning it into a giant penis. A great example of this law of defacement is a sculpture in Devon, England, which was transformed from a bicycle into very large schlong on a hill, overlooking the seaside.
To welcome cyclists participating in the Tour de Britain, and to also highlight its efforts to curb over-use of plastics, the small town of Ilfracombe constructed a sculpture of a bike, using corrugated cardboard and various plastic items. For a while, it was a pleasant little public art exhibit that looked like a giant bicycle, visible from afar.
But somebody thought it'd be funny to turn the innocuous bicycle into a very large dick overnight.
North Devon is full od artists, in Ilfracombe we have Verity by Damian First and this appeared this morning on Capstone Hill. #northdevon #hugebellend pic.twitter.com/d2zDAk7fDi
— Haze Maze (@hazemazeuk) September 4, 2018
Seth Conway, project co-ordinator of Plastic Free North Devon said the bike will ultimately be more memorable than the sudden and dramatic penis that appeared in its absence, telling Devon Live: "It was going to have been taken down today anyway but someone got there first. They've shown some creativity but it'll be the bike that's remembered."
No act of vandalism lasts forever, but the good ones can make an impression. Just ask the Navy pilots who drew a penis in the sky.
h/t Deadspin