A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with one count of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a person placing artificial eyes on the artwork, which residents 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 recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.
