Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage 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 frustrating to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at 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 prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
