Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a person putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.
The following day the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
