What the Nose Knows took a bit of a hit over the weekend, after it was found vandalized on Monday morning.
The piece was discovered leaning on its nose, with its supporting steel pole seemingly bent. Following a call from a local resident to Oak Bay Police, district of Oak Bay crews were sent to repair the art piece.
Despite their attempts to prop it back up however, the Nose was sadly hauled away on the back of a heavy-duty truck, said Rob Jennings, owner Jennings Florists shop in Estevan Village.
“We went from nose down on the ground to nothing,” Jennings said, adding the incident came as a surprise, considering the piece is fairly popular with people who see it. “People like to pose with it, because it wasn’t necessarily serious art, people just have fun with it,” he said.
Oak Bay Police Sgt. Davinder Dalep said an official police file has been created, though there are no suspects yet in relation to the art piece.
The big nose was part of recent controversy with some locals who either loved it or despised it, Jennings said .
“Some people thought it was something gaudy,” he said.“I’d be happy to see it come back.”
What the Nose Knows was created by Burnaby artist Ron Simmer and is part of the ArtsAlive 2017 that includes 13 sculptures placed along Oay Bay Avenue, in Estevan Village, Willows Beach, and Beach Drive at Lansdowne Road.
The nose itself was installed at the entrance to Lokier Garden, at Musgrave Street and Estevan Avenue.
Simmer described the piece as a symbol of the overall nosiness by governments and corporations to collect information from citizens.