Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge advising her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the alleged incident, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked 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.”
The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.
At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it received mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
