Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a individual putting 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 secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.
The following day the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She added the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
When the sculpture was first proposed, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.
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 influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.