Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed 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 December.
The following day the alleged incident, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
