Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture 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 Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video captured a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, 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 alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
She said the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
