Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.
The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
When the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
