Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin 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 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 area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
