Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor said the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
When the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts 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”.