Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She said the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
