Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the city leader said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.