Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager 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, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the art piece.
“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 welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
