Young Australian Faces Charges for Supposedly Placing Googly Eyes on ‘Cast in Blue’ Artwork

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

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, appeared remotely at the local court in the state of South Australia on that day, facing with a single charge of damaging property.

Officials commented at the time of the recent event, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video captured a person placing artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and told the court she was ill, according to media sources, with the judge 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 costly as the stickers were impossible to be removed without damaging the sculpture.

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

She said the local government would seek the “substantial” repair costs from those accountable for the vandalism.

When the artwork was initially suggested, it drew varied responses from the local community due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars ($89,000; £68,000), the sculpture depicts a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater found in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.