Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She added the council would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
When the artwork was first proposed, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
