Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with one count of damaging property.
Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage captured a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
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.
A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
The mayor said the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.