Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate advising 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 stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
