Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the local government would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.