30 August 2011

Do you know these vandals? Pictures of sculpture defacers.

| johnboy
Join the conversation
58
dropkicks

ACT Policing are investigating an incident of property damage in Civic on Saturday night (August 27).

Around 10.40pm, two men damaged the On the Staircase sculpture, which is located in public space at Petrie Plaza, near the David Jones store.

The value of damage to the sculpture is not known.

Both males are described as Caucasian, with one wearing jeans, a blue T-shirt with a black motif, white sneakers with a blue stripe, and a black beanie.

The other man was wearing jeans, white shoes and a white T-shirt with a motif on the front. The men were last seen walking towards the merry-go-round in Petrie Plaza.

Anyone who may have witnessed the offence on Saturday night, or recognises the two men from the description and images, is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report via the Crime Stoppers website on www.act.crimestoppers.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

d*ckheads

Join the conversation

58
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest

screaming banshee said :

dvaey said :

It does kinda make you wonder, when every $50 mobile phone now comes with a 10megapixel camera, why CCTV paid for by our tax money can only afford some $2000 devices that look like theyre recording at 160×120 resolution.. even the reversing camera in my car is higher quality than these images

Please show me where I can buy a $50 mobile phone with a 10 megapixel camera.

So does your reversing camera transmit the images back to a central monitoring location possibly hundreds of metres away, no? Does your reversing camera save the images along with those of several other cameras for later review, no?

That is certainly a good point. With those multi millions of pixel phone cameras you can only take the four photos on it’s standard memory. And those cameras like the ones at the canberra centre (the canberra centre cameras are at least double the resolution of the gov ones though) store everything that has happenned for 6 months before being deleted to conserve space.

I would bet some money that the bloke in the white teeshirt may be Irish. I worked in security at a Canberra Centre and there was this Irish frequent offender who looked just like the white tee bloke who would always do stupid vandal s*ite like that when pissed, and often get caught on the Canberra Centre cameras.

CanberraStroll12:51 pm 26 Sep 11

poetix said :

CanberraStroll said :

This public eyesore should have been defaced long ago, I say good on these gentlemen for doing the public a valuable service. Why must Civic insist on installing these pieces of ‘art’ in the middle of our public throughfares?

Yes, it’s such an attractive public thoroughfare, isn’t it?
I think this is one of the more successful sculptures, and very appropriate to Canberra’s culture of climbing the public service ladder. (Or stairs.) But don’t let anything requiring a little thought get in the way of your strolls through the fragrant arcadia that is Petrie Plaza.

Thank you so much for your quasi-intellectual appraisal of this installation! You clearly are well versed in art, so tell me, where did you study? Somewhere prestigious I’m sure! Perhaps you’d care to enlighten us all regarding the artistic merits of Civics glowing cube?

In all seriousness, perhaps this poorly rendered sculpture does represent Canberra’s servants; Hunched over, fat, and constantly obstructing those who have legitimate duties to perform!

AndreOvredal12:47 pm 26 Sep 11

Perhaps they should*

AndreOvredal12:44 pm 26 Sep 11

Henry82 said :

Even if you don’t like it, it’s now going to cost money to fix. So instead of just being an eyesore, its not a very expensive eyesore.

Perhaps it they should simply get rid of these sorts of sculptures then? I imagine they are costly to design, install and maintain. It would be logical if we simply left them in galleries and not in the middle of a bike path. Personally I admire that particular sculpture, I just feel my tax dollars can be put to more efficient use.

*its now a very expensive eyesore.

CanberraStroll said :

This public eyesore should have been defaced long ago, I say good on these gentlemen for doing the public a valuable service. Why must Civic insist on installing these pieces of ‘art’ in the middle of our public throughfares?

Ug no like! Ug smash!

CanberraStroll said :

This public eyesore should have been defaced long ago, I say good on these gentlemen for doing the public a valuable service.

Even if you don’t like it, it’s now going to cost money to fix. So instead of just being an eyesore, its not a very expensive eyesore.

CanberraStroll said :

This public eyesore should have been defaced long ago, I say good on these gentlemen for doing the public a valuable service. Why must Civic insist on installing these pieces of ‘art’ in the middle of our public throughfares?

Yes, it’s such an attractive public thoroughfare, isn’t it?
I think this is one of the more successful sculptures, and very appropriate to Canberra’s culture of climbing the public service ladder. (Or stairs.) But don’t let anything requiring a little thought get in the way of your strolls through the fragrant arcadia that is Petrie Plaza.

CanberraStroll11:10 pm 25 Sep 11

This public eyesore should have been defaced long ago, I say good on these gentlemen for doing the public a valuable service. Why must Civic insist on installing these pieces of ‘art’ in the middle of our public throughfares?

screaming banshee2:27 pm 04 Sep 11

dvaey said :

It does kinda make you wonder, when every $50 mobile phone now comes with a 10megapixel camera, why CCTV paid for by our tax money can only afford some $2000 devices that look like theyre recording at 160×120 resolution.. even the reversing camera in my car is higher quality than these images

Please show me where I can buy a $50 mobile phone with a 10 megapixel camera.

So does your reversing camera transmit the images back to a central monitoring location possibly hundreds of metres away, no? Does your reversing camera save the images along with those of several other cameras for later review, no?

Henry82 said :

legal said :

What is the point of these cameras if they can’t zoom in and get a get look? A good sony CCD PTZ camera is $1500 odd. All these cameras do is show something has hapenned – thats no deterrent.

cost. 5 years ago these cameras could have been top of the line. Also, you need to weigh up having one very good camera, or many average cameras that can cover a large area.

It does kinda make you wonder, when every $50 mobile phone now comes with a 10megapixel camera, why CCTV paid for by our tax money can only afford some $2000 devices that look like theyre recording at 160×120 resolution.. even the reversing camera in my car is higher quality than these images

I thought that they would have found these guys by now, with the facebooks and the internets and so forth.

ThatUniStudent4:31 pm 01 Sep 11

Solidarity said :

Those two guys look nothing alike.

Oh, I agree. They look vaguely similar, but far too vaguely for me.
You forget, I’m talking about ahh, uni students. They’re vague as hell. I should know. I’m one. Now what was this about? Art critics?

luther_bendross3:40 pm 01 Sep 11

BlackIce said :

Genie said :

Hang on… isn’t it as simple as triangulating the call the guy in white made.. and within seconds it will trace back to all of ONE person and bingo there is your scumbags ??

No ?? Damn you CSI !

Or digitally enhance the CCTV stills and run the photos through DMV and get a single match with a 99% probability??

No ?? Damn you CSI !

“Horatio, they tried to take the little man down.”
“Yeah, well now it’s time for this man to take him down.”
YYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

legal said :

What is the point of these cameras if they can’t zoom in and get a get look? A good sony CCD PTZ camera is $1500 odd. All these cameras do is show something has hapenned – thats no deterrent.

cost. 5 years ago these cameras could have been top of the line. Also, you need to weigh up having one very good camera, or many average cameras that can cover a large area.

What is the point of these cameras if they can’t zoom in and get a get look? A good sony CCD PTZ camera is $1500 odd. All these cameras do is show something has hapenned – thats no deterrent.

Those two guys look nothing alike.

Public floggings for these type of acts would bring:

1. Saturday morning entertainment for the masses in Garema Pl
2. Protection for our public artworks.

lumpy said :

DUB said :

They look like tossers that came here for a couple of years, on a Grad program with Govt department,

I’d have gone with the ‘looking 18 years old’ card, but I guess my tosser grad ass doesn’t know any better.

I am terribly sorry, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.Do you wear pointy shoes? 😀

Genie said :

Hang on… isn’t it as simple as triangulating the call the guy in white made.. and within seconds it will trace back to all of ONE person and bingo there is your scumbags ??

No ?? Damn you CSI !

Or digitally enhance the CCTV stills and run the photos through DMV and get a single match with a 99% probability??

No ?? Damn you CSI !

DUB said :

They look like tossers that came here for a couple of years, on a Grad program with Govt department,

I’d have gone with the ‘looking 18 years old’ card, but I guess my tosser grad ass doesn’t know any better.

Ahhh, hate that kind of beanies, that look like a used condom.
They look like tossers that came here for a couple of years, on a Grad program with Govt department, which, they are sure, will look good on their resume.They also look like frequent visitors to that nightspot, where they stab each other, Cube?
And why wear a t-shirt and a f***ing beanie??What a douche..
P.S. CCTV from nightclub will help as well.

Looks like Beanie boy is taking the only opportunity he’ll ever have to get his leg over. The Loser mentality wont get him far with the girls.

“I watched from my car while waiting at the lights beside the ABC on Northbourne this morning as a guy “tagged” the ABC time/weather post on the corner with non-descript writing.”

Ummmm no. I have a healthy disdain towards ‘taggers’ myself, but that tag has been there for over a moth. I have to look at it every day on the way home from work. What’s that fishy smell?

I think the attraction, as mentioned before, is because it’s an easy target. opportunistic asshats.

gentoopenguin10:33 pm 30 Aug 11

I felt my IQ drop just watching that video. Part of me really wanted that guy’s foot to get caught and his friend run off and leave him there stranded. Shame it didn’t happen.

I watched from my car while waiting at the lights beside the ABC on Northbourne this morning as a guy “tagged” the ABC time/weather post on the corner with non-descript writing. Not sure why young males like to destroy things but I suspect it’s like a dog marking territory. As for the statue – make it more solid so that if someone takes a kick at it they break their foot.

Their mothers must be so proud of them – and such good future pilars of society I am sure! I am sure it won’t take long to catch them as anyone who knows them would recognise them quickly.

It is a challenge though, as those who promote public art want us to interact with the pieces – unfortunately some take it a bit far.

The little guy is always the target! Maybe they should increase the scale of the installation; the little guy could be 6 feet tall, and would crush vandals to death.

Sleaz274 said :

Booby trap it like raiders of the lost ark…

you could run for public office with only that for your platform and you’d totally win.

Hmmm, white shoes, lame-arse beanie (and no hoodies) … not exactly hardened thugs or crims.
Looks like these two had one too many shandies after work….
Don’t break a nail on that sculpture, boys! Hahaha!
Twats.

ConanOfCooma8:06 pm 30 Aug 11

Jivrashia said :

The value of the sculpture is not known.

fify

“Fitty”.

You’re probably thinking of “Plead the FIF.”

Genie said :

Hang on… isn’t it as simple as triangulating the call the guy in white made.. and within seconds it will trace back to all of ONE person and bingo there is your scumbags ??

Cell phone triangulation isn’t accurate. Particularly when a standard call uses 2 towers. Plus, it’s right near academy. With signals being obstructed by buildings, anyone in the region could have the same “signal strength pattern”

Hang on… isn’t it as simple as triangulating the call the guy in white made.. and within seconds it will trace back to all of ONE person and bingo there is your scumbags ??

No ?? Damn you CSI !

Sleaz274 said :

Booby trap it like raiders of the lost ark…

That would be awesome.

Damn, I hate those jerks. And the irony as well of them defacing the sculpture that’s about expanding your mind.

My guess would be though that with CCTV footage this good, they’ll get caught. Last time it was defaced, the multicultural festival tents blocked the view of the cameras. Whoops.

creative_canberran6:15 pm 30 Aug 11

Sleaz274 said :

Booby trap it like raiders of the lost ark…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5a_BmL0AfA

Golden-Alpine6:09 pm 30 Aug 11

When they are caught they should have to pay for all damages and even assist in rectifying the piece. Plus community service.

All vandals should have to pay to fix up their damage. Why should I have to pay?

grunge_hippy6:06 pm 30 Aug 11

damn hipsters

powerpuffpete5:44 pm 30 Aug 11

Why can’t people let Civic be more than just “the morning after”

We need ‘bait statues’, just like a baitcar.

It’s a shame, when he got his leg caught, i was hoping he would fall

Booby trap it like raiders of the lost ark…

Waiting For Godot said :

What is it about this particular sculpture which makes it so attractive to vandals. I’m not aware of any other public art installation which gets vandalised so much, or in fact at all. Is it a protest against obesity?

I assume it’s a trophy, much like the idea of stealing a street sign with your name (or something else entertaining) on it.

Maybe they could encase the entire piece in some kind of indestructable clear casing, which graffiti can just be wiped off.

The guy in the white doesn’t do too much other than stand there covering his face while I hope the other guy slips and breaks a leg

wooster said :

creative_canberran said :

It’s the old adage that because of things like this, we can’t have nice things. It’s time for the law to recognise that notion and apply a penalty accordingly.

Nice work paying attention in your legal theory course, but save the faux-intellectual epithets for an audience who cares.

I care. I think quite a few people care.

And it’s true. A few badly-raised, useless scum can wreck the environment we live in, cause expense to the rest of us, and provide nothing of worth or usefulness. I echo the sentiment that the harm they do to society itself should be recognised in consideration of their penalty.

Waiting For Godot said :

What is it about this particular sculpture which makes it so attractive to vandals. I’m not aware of any other public art installation which gets vandalised so much, or in fact at all. Is it a protest against obesity?

I was walking past it the other day at lunch, and I had to stop, and poke (gently) the little guy on top to check he was attached!

Walking past, the little chap just looked like he had been placed there, he realy does not look fixed down at all.

I’m guessing the drunks try to nock him off his staircase, becase they look at him, and think they can, so they give it a whack.

Not trying to have a shot at the peice itself here, just a theory on why it might be happening.

Waiting For Godot said :

What is it about this particular sculpture which makes it so attractive to vandals.

the little statue could be carried home quite easily?

creative_canberran3:04 pm 30 Aug 11

wooster said :

creative_canberran said :

It’s really time to get tough on these morons. Last night, Win News had a story about the long spate of attacks on the Reptile Park at Gold Creek.

I’m not sure where it would fit in terms of jurisprudence. In fact it would probably call for an amount of moral thought that the current positivist leaning of the law would reject such a notion. But I honestly think it’s time to create a crime that recognises this sort of stuff as not only a singular act of criminal damage, but also an act that harms the fabric and quality of society. It’s the old adage that because of things like this, we can’t have nice things. It’s time for the law to recognise that notion and apply a penalty accordingly.

Nice work paying attention in your legal theory course, but save the faux-intellectual epithets for an audience who cares.

Well if everybody attacks the law for not doing enough to punish these people’ it’s good the point out that to some extent, it’s because the community and the legal fraternity are not on the same plane of thought.

As for “faux-intellectual epithets”… I’ll take that to mean you don’t know what those terms meant and rather than look them up, would rather make snide remarks. Unfortunately, those terms and the theories behind them have lasted centuries and will be around long after you are gone. So best get used to it.

Waiting For Godot2:38 pm 30 Aug 11

What is it about this particular sculpture which makes it so attractive to vandals. I’m not aware of any other public art installation which gets vandalised so much, or in fact at all. Is it a protest against obesity?

wooster said :

creative_canberran said :

It’s really time to get tough on these morons. Last night, Win News had a story about the long spate of attacks on the Reptile Park at Gold Creek.

I’m not sure where it would fit in terms of jurisprudence. In fact it would probably call for an amount of moral thought that the current positivist leaning of the law would reject such a notion. But I honestly think it’s time to create a crime that recognises this sort of stuff as not only a singular act of criminal damage, but also an act that harms the fabric and quality of society. It’s the old adage that because of things like this, we can’t have nice things. It’s time for the law to recognise that notion and apply a penalty accordingly.

Nice work paying attention in your legal theory course, but save the faux-intellectual epithets for an audience who cares.

+ 1

Seemed to be a wonderful night for crime.
My apartment complex car park was the scene of numerous car break-ins as was our neighbouring complex apparently. They took about $3 from my car whilst smashing a window which cost $240 to fix.
We have CCTV in the basement so hopefully the police will release that too!

pricks.

Scum. Next thing you know, they’ll be climbing on the war memorial to show off their legs!!

Let make the vandals less damage resistant.

And test it with baseball bats.

Last time people tried to steal the little man from On the Staircase was only six months ago, and one of the recommendations was to make it more damage and theft-resistant, since the previous time it was broken was only four months before that

Clearly, the result was not quite resistant enough for our average drunk.

The value of the sculpture is not known.

fify

creative_canberran said :

It’s really time to get tough on these morons. Last night, Win News had a story about the long spate of attacks on the Reptile Park at Gold Creek.

I’m not sure where it would fit in terms of jurisprudence. In fact it would probably call for an amount of moral thought that the current positivist leaning of the law would reject such a notion. But I honestly think it’s time to create a crime that recognises this sort of stuff as not only a singular act of criminal damage, but also an act that harms the fabric and quality of society. It’s the old adage that because of things like this, we can’t have nice things. It’s time for the law to recognise that notion and apply a penalty accordingly.

Nice work paying attention in your legal theory course, but save the faux-intellectual epithets for an audience who cares.

2 hrs community service, next.

Meanwhile, we (the tax payers) get to pay the bill to have it repaired.

It had only just been repaired! I hope those morons get a nice criminal record to contemplate on.

creative_canberran1:28 pm 30 Aug 11

It’s really time to get tough on these morons. Last night, Win News had a story about the long spate of attacks on the Reptile Park at Gold Creek.

I’m not sure where it would fit in terms of jurisprudence. In fact it would probably call for an amount of moral thought that the current positivist leaning of the law would reject such a notion. But I honestly think it’s time to create a crime that recognises this sort of stuff as not only a singular act of criminal damage, but also an act that harms the fabric and quality of society. It’s the old adage that because of things like this, we can’t have nice things. It’s time for the law to recognise that notion and apply a penalty accordingly.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.