Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture

A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated 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 moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a person placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the art piece.

“This wilful damage to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the creators influenced by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.