Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with one count of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a individual putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She added the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
