Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused made no plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She said the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
