Paul Pearson is a very specific type of artist – he makes bongs, devices commonly used to smoke cannabis (although he maintains that his creations are purely ornamental).
And when Paul moved to the far-northern NSW town of Woodenbong, he was inspired to create his most ambitious project yet – a wooden bong over 15 metres tall.
The artist believes that the giant statue will join the ranks of Australia’s other famous ‘big’ attractions – the Big Merino, the Big Banana, the Big Pineapple – and help bring tourism to the area.
Paul has started a petition to gain support for his idea, which would also include a tourist information centre underneath the artwork.
Naturally, he’s had some mixed responses from the community.
“I don’t think I need to convince people, it’s pretty obvious”, Paul told the ABC. “The comedy factor speaks for itself. It’s an unfulfilled prophecy. It has to be played out.”
Maybe a road trip to Woodenbong won’t be one to bring the kids along…
