Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She said the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
