Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared via phone at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on that day, charged with a single charge of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
The following day the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin 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 council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.
When the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
