Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
She added the council would seek the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
