Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video captured a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
