Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of damaging property.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a individual putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge 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.
The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.