Byron’s divisive ‘disco dong’ to be torn down and sold off in pieces

A phallic sculpture dubbed the ‘disco dong’ will be torn down by Byron council amid fears for its ‘structural integrity’.

A CONTROVERSIAL sculpture dubbed the ‘disco dong’ will be torn down by a northern New South Wales council and sold off to the public in pieces.

Officially named The Lighthouse by Byron Shire Council, the 12m tall sculpture costing $55,000 was erected about eight months ago.

Now, between $11,000 and $13,000 will be spent decommissioning the much-maligned sculpture and up to $25,000 will be spent reinstating the roundabout on Bayshore Dr and Ewingsdale Rd.

The Lighthouse sculpture at Byron Bay, dubbed the ‘disco dong’ by locals, will be torn down. Picture: Christopher Soulsby/Byron Shire Council

The 5000 aluminium birds which form the sculpture will be offloaded for $20 each from the Council’s Resource Recovery Centre at Myocum.

The decision to pull down the sculpture by artist Corey Thomas – who was abused from passing cars as he worked on the sculpture in December last year – came at a council meeting on Thursday, and was apparently for safety reasons.

In a report, the council detailed “several recent incidents where people have been climbing the sculpture and hanging banners and stuffed toys from it”.

The council said people have also been posing for photos with the dong on the busy roundabout and using it to protest about regional issues.

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Byron councillor Sarah Ndiaye, chair of the shire’s Public Art Panel, said there were concerns people would be injured climbing the sculpture, or that its structural integrity would be compromised.

“There are no signs that people will stop climbing, or hanging things off The Lighthouse sculpture, no matter how many times we ask them not to, and this is a primary reason for

Councillors deciding to decommission the piece,” she said.

The Lighthouse sculpture at Byron Bay, dubbed the 'disco dong' by some, will be torn down. Picture: Christopher Soulsby/Byron Shire Council

Cr Ndiaye said she was “acutely aware some people will be very happy about this decision”.

“Many disliked it strongly but some were growing accustomed and more accepting of it and others liked it and will be sad to see it go,” she said.

The sculpture will be taken down as soon as possible, the council stated.

Money raised from the sale of the aluminium birds will go towards the cost of decommissioning the sculpture.

The Lighthouse sculpture at Byron Bay, dubbed the 'disco dong' by some, will be torn down. Picture: Christopher Soulsby/Byron Shire Council

Any money left over will be used to develop a Byron Shire Cultural Policy and “to reduce homelessness in the Byron Shire”.

In an artist statement previously published by the council, Mr Thomas said he hoped the sculpture would “provide both the tangible and intangible, as a beacon and repository of memory, an injection of whimsy, poeticism and playfulness into the everyday”.