Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork

A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with one count of damaging property.

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be detached without harming the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.

When the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.