Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone 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 September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the court she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.