Australian Teen Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture

A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of property damage.

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a individual putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was unwell, as reported by 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 repairs to the much-loved public artwork would be expensive as the stickers could not be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the local government would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.