Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A teenager from Australia 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 the state of South Australia on that day, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without harming the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She added the local government would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
