Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork

Altered sculpture with eyes attached
Authorities mentioned they were unable to remove the eyes without damaging the artwork.

A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, facing with one count of property damage.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities said that surveillance video showed a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused made no plea and told the judge she was ill, as reported by news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.

Art piece after eye removal
The damaged sculpture after the googly eyes were taken off.

The following day the reported event, the city leader said 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 community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those members of our community who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

The mayor said the council would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

At the time the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and design.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork 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”.

Formal name vs. local name
The sculpture is its official name but locals nicknamed the piece the ‘Blue Blob’.
William Stevenson
William Stevenson

A seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting strategies and market trends.