Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a person placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
She added the local government would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
