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 reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
The following day the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She said the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses 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 sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
