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

A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after reportedly defacing a large art piece of a legendary being by applying googly eyes to it.

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

In a statement at the time of the recent event, the local council said that surveillance video captured a person putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was ill, as reported by media sources, with the judge advising her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in the final month of the year.

A day after the reported event, the local mayor stated that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the sculpture.

“This wilful damage to a cherished community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor said the local government would pursue the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

When the sculpture was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and design.

Costing 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators inspired by an ancient anteater-like marsupial discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.