Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture

Damaged sculpture with eyes attached — Authorities mentioned they could not remove the eyes without harming the artwork.

A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of damaging property.

In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a individual placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

Art piece after eye removal — The damaged sculpture after the stickers were removed.

The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design.

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.