Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with one count of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge advising her to find a legal representative before her next court date in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“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 costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.
When the artwork was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
