Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She said the local government would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
