Young Australian Charged for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork
A young person from Australia has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a sizable art piece of a legendary being by affixing plastic eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, 19 years old, appeared remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with one count of property damage.
In a statement at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage showed a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in December.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without damaging the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
She said the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the vandalism.
When the sculpture 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 artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
