Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the judge advising her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
She said the council would seek the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
