Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
In a statement at the time of the September incident, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
