CITIZENS of Cockburn, rejoice! The ominous, creepy faces adorning Cockburn Central Station have been removed.
Transport minister Rita Saffioti announced the faces were taken down due to safety concerns, ending their reign of terror and discomfort over local residents and passersby alike.
Like an Aussie Eye of Sauron, the faces have gazed into the souls of Kwinana Freeway commuters and local residents since 2006.
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READ NOWThe expressionless faces were subjected to criticism from the beginning – even the City of Cockburn’s website lists them as “controversial” – and have been adopted as a meme in recent times.
Created by artists Marco Marcon and Rodney Glick, The Face of the Community represents a composite of hundreds of photos of residents, digitally morphed and fused together to create the image we all know and detest.
Unfortunately, the $400,000 art work more resembled Mr Bean’s attempt at fixing Whistler’s Mother than the Mona Lisa, two blank faces devoid of personality or meaning which – much like da Vinci’s most famous work – appeared to always be looking directly at you, no matter the angle.
It prompted a Facebook page with almost 10,000 likes and a pair of Change.org petitions calling for its axing, but they fell on deaf ears.
In recent years, the sun has forced the pictures to deteriorate with the cracks and faded colours somehow managing to create an even more nightmarish image.
Commuters on Tuesday noticed the faces had been taken down, prompting a thorough investigation – had they been stolen? And if so, what twisted thief would want such an artwork?
Ms Saffioti confirmed to 6PR Mornings host Gareth Parker the pictures had been removed due to maintenance problems.
She has promised to announced a community survey about what could replace them – what would you like to see put up in their place? TAKE OUR POLL