Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
When the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
