Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
She said the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
