Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused made no plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising 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 said that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
