Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, 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 alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
She said the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
