A young person from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the artwork was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and design.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
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