Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the local council explained that surveillance video captured a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
