Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video captured a person placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge recommending her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She added the council would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
