Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained 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 informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
