Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing 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 a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
