Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in 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 said the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
