Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared remotely at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the local government would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
