Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate 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.”
She added the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
