Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.