Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing 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 costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
