Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing 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 individual placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
