Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that surveillance video showed a individual placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
The accused made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in December.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She said the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time 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 inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
