Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in 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 surveillance video showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She said the local government would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
