Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared via phone 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 local council said that CCTV footage captured a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”
The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and design.
Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.