Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - 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” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
