Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.