Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the court she was ill, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished 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 embraced the Blue Blob.”
She added the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
