Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
When 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 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.