Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
She said the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.