Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
She said the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 (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”.
