Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
