Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a person putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.