Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be detached without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.