Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the court she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She said the council would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
