Australian Teen Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that surveillance video captured a individual placing fake eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”
She added the local government would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
