Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She added the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
