Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates 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 September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the court she was ill, according to media sources, 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 reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and design.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
