Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork

Altered sculpture with eyes attached
Authorities mentioned they could not remove the eyes without harming the artwork.

A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated via phone at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the moment of the September incident, the local council explained that CCTV footage showed a person putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the judge she was unwell, according to media sources, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a legal representative before her upcoming hearing in December.

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

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that repairs to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.”

She added the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those responsible for the damage.

When the sculpture was first proposed, 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 artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the creators inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.

Formal name vs. nickname
Cast in Blue is its official name but residents nicknamed the piece the ‘Blue Blob’.
Jeffery Smith
Jeffery Smith

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