Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, 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 alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin 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 Cast in Blue.”
She added the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts 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”.
