🔗 Share this article Young Australian Faces Charges for Allegedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture Authorities mentioned they were unable to remove the eyes without harming the artwork. A teenager from Australia has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it. Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property. In a statement at the moment of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that CCTV footage captured a person putting artificial eyes on the artwork, which locals have dubbed the “Cast in Blue”. The accused did not enter a plea and informed the judge she was ill, according to news outlets, with the judge recommending her to find a legal representative before her next court date in December. The affected sculpture after the googly eyes were removed. A day after the reported event, the city leader stated that repairs to the popular public artwork would be costly as the adhesive eyes could not be detached without harming the art piece. “This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in mid-September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also disappointing to those people of our community who have embraced the Blue Blob.” The mayor said the local government would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the vandalism. When the artwork was first proposed, it received varied responses from the area residents due to its cost and design. Priced at A$136,000 ($89,000; £68,000), the artwork depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric marsupial ant-eater found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”. The sculpture is its official name but residents called the artwork the ‘Blue Blob’.