🔗 Share this article Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork Authorities stated they were unable to take off the eyes without harming the artwork. A young person from Australia has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it. Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage. In a statement at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”. The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year. The affected sculpture after the stickers were taken off. The following day the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the sculpture. “This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.” She said the local government would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage. At the time the artwork was first proposed, 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 represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”. Cast in Blue is its official name but locals nicknamed the artwork the ‘Blue Blob’.