Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
