Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the court she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be removed without harming the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Costing 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 prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
