Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork

A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture 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, charged with one count of damaging property.

Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video captured a person putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor added the local government would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.