Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Placing Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture
A teenager from Australia has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a mythical creature by applying googly eyes to it.
The 19-year-old, aged 19, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on Tuesday, facing with a single charge of property damage.
In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council said that CCTV footage captured a individual placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.
Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the judge she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in December.
The following day the alleged incident, the local mayor stated that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without harming the art piece.
“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin remarked in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those members of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.”
The mayor added the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.
When the sculpture was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.
Costing 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.
