Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.
Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on that day, facing with one count of property damage.
Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.
The accused did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be removed without harming the sculpture.
“This wilful damage to a valued community art 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 community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
She added the local government would pursue the “substantial” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.
When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and design.
Priced at A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
