🔗 Share this article Young Australian Charged for Allegedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Sculpture The local council mentioned they could not take off the eyes without damaging the artwork. A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it. Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at Mount Gambier Magistrates Court in South Australia on Tuesday, charged with a single charge of property damage. In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video showed a individual placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”. Ms Vanderhorst did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, as reported by media sources, with the magistrate advising her to find a lawyer before her upcoming hearing in the final month of the year. The damaged sculpture after the googly eyes were taken off. A day after the alleged incident, the local mayor said that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the art piece. “This intentional vandalism to a cherished public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those members of our society who have embraced the Blue Blob.” The mayor said the local government would seek the “significant” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism. When the artwork was initially suggested, it received varied responses from the local community due to its price tag and design. Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”. The sculpture is its formal title but locals called the piece the ‘Blue Blob’.