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

A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly defacing a large art piece of a legendary being by affixing googly eyes to it.

The 19-year-old, 19 years old, participated remotely 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 September incident, the local council explained that CCTV footage captured a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which residents have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and told the court she was ill, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to secure a lawyer before her next court date in the final month of the year.

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

“This wilful damage to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is pricey - it is also disappointing to those people of our society who have embraced Cast in Blue.”

She added the council would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the damage.

When the artwork was first proposed, it drew varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and appearance.

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 ancient anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.