Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a individual putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-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.”
She added the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
