Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that surveillance video captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She added the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
When the sculpture was first proposed, it received varied responses 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 depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.