Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a individual putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She added the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
