Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
