Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video captured a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She added the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
