Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly 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 moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her next court date in December.
The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture 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 said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
