Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
She said the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
