Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be removed without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued 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 frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She said the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
When the sculpture was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and design.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
