Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the artwork was first proposed, it received varied responses from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.