Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
She added the council would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
