Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
