Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a large blue sculpture of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.
In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that CCTV footage showed a person putting fake eyes on the sculpture, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.
A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be removed without harming the art piece.
“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”
She said the council would seek the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
At the time the sculpture was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.
Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
