Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
