Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork

A young person from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a sizable blue sculpture of a legendary being by applying plastic eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in the state of South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video captured a person placing fake eyes on the artwork, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by news outlets, with the judge advising her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular community sculpture would be expensive as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is inappropriate and disrespectful,” Mayor Lynette Martin said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those members of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the local government would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism.

When the artwork was first proposed, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing A$136,000 (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.