Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She said the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the artwork was first proposed, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.