Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the artwork was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
