Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
She added the council would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
