Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video captured a person placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge advising her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the local government would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
