Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video captured a individual putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
