Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video showed a person putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
