Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature 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 time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
