Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, as reported by news outlets, 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 reported event, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
