Tributes to Miley Cyrus’ latest music video “Wrecking Ball” at Michigan’s Grand Valley State University (GVSU) caused the removal of a 39-year-old campus sculpture, according to an announcement on the university website.
Students were swinging from the bifilar pendulum, also known as the GV Wrecking Ball, with little to no clothing on, imitating the celebrity’s video which has gone viral since its Sept. 9 release date.
Students took photos and videos of themselves and posted them over social media sites, including Twitter and Vine. But the fun and games came to a halt when the campus facility services department took down the structure for safety reasons, according to the university’s website.
Facility services said there was concern over the structure’s cable, with the increase of students riding it, but it was also considering options of what to do with the pendulum even before the Cyrus incident came about.
“The examination of the structural integrity of the installation showed cable decay,” associate vice president (facilities services) Tim Thimmesch said in the announcement. “We’ll have a structural engineer review the installation and provide an assessment of the load on the beam—particularly when there is added weight.”
Thimmesch said he hopes the pendulum will be reinstalled, though it is not clear if it will be in the same location, or somewhere else on campus. The pendulum even has its own unofficial Twitter page under the handle @GVSUWreckingBal where students have been expressing their opinions.
“I don’t blame Miley for getting our ball taken away, I thank her for making us famous ;)” the account tweeted Sept. 18.
