Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of damaging property.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate advising her to find a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
She said the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the vandalism.
At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
