Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video captured a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
