Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the council would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
