Mount Gambier's 'blue blob' sculpture to go ahead, despite fierce online backlash

A regional South Australian council will go ahead with a controversial public art project, prompting a debate about the value of public art and community feedback. 

The City of Mount Gambier last month endorsed spending $136,000 on a large, blue sculpture of a mythical megafauna creature as part of its Beacon Art Project. 

It was designed to pay homage to the megafauna which once populated the Limestone Coast, with the blue reflecting the colour of the city's Blue Lake. 

But the proposal received backlash online, nicknamed the "blue bob" on social media, and attracted commentary on the design and its cost. 

On Tuesday night, the council voted three-to-five against a motion to revoke funding for the "Cast in Blue" sculpture and pick an alternative design. 

Council chief executive Sarah Philpott said the debate around the sculpture was a "symbol" of the conversations public art could start. 

"The objective was about a unique piece of art that does have a connection to place, that's about generating discussion and is an attractor," she said. 

"It is quite a unique process to go out and commission a significant piece of art in this way."

Costs vs benefits 

The art project came in the same financial year the council announced a 10.2 per cent general rate rise. 

Mount Gambier and District Residents and Ratepayers Association chair Di Ind said she understood the appeal of the project, but objected to the expenditure while many were struggling with the cost of living. 

"Art is very important, I think most of the paintings and murals around the community are fantastic, but I think it's about a timing thing about this particular project," she said. 

Mount Gambier artist and former Country Arts SA board member Ruth Stephenson disagreed and said concerns over the cost were a "red herring". 

She said if the work generated discussion and attracted visitors it was a positive. 

"From what I've read, it's less than 1 per cent of the total budget, so it's [a] tiny amount of the total spend of what our council does," she said. 

"So whilst it seems like a large amount of money, it is not a large amount of money to spend on something that's a strategic direction for the future."

Public debate causes stir 

It is not the first time public art has stirred up opinion and led to concerns over personal attacks on artists.  

At the council meeting, much of the debate amongst councillors focused on comments made about them, and council staff, on social media. 

Griffith University public art researcher Sophie Gadaloff said the public could sometimes baulk at art they did not immediately understand. 

"Australia's such a multicultural country with such a broad range of demographics," she said. 

"We're always going to be encountering art that's made by people we don't have immediate cultural reference and shared understanding with." 

The council will now finalise its commissioning agreement with the artist behind the sculpture, with a completion date not yet confirmed.

The sculpture will be installed near Mount Gambier's Cave Garden precinct.