Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying 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 that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She said the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and design.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
