Australian Teen Faces Charges for Supposedly Attaching Googly Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Artwork

Altered sculpture with eyes attached
Authorities mentioned they could not remove the eyes without harming the artwork.

A young person from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly vandalizing a sizable art piece of a mythical creature by affixing googly eyes to it.

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

Officials commented at the time of the September incident, the local council said that surveillance video showed a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have dubbed the “Blue Blob”.

The accused did not enter a plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to news outlets, with the magistrate recommending her to find a lawyer before her next court date in December.

Sculpture after eye removal
The damaged sculpture after the stickers were removed.

The following day the alleged incident, the city leader said that restoration to the much-loved public artwork would be costly as the stickers could not be removed without damaging the sculpture.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued community art is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is pricey - it is also frustrating to those people of our society who have welcomed the Blue Blob.”

The mayor added the council would seek the “substantial” restoration expenses from those accountable for the damage.

When the artwork was first proposed, it drew mixed reactions from the area residents due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a mythical megafauna, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in nearby caverns that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.

Formal name vs. nickname
Cast in Blue is its official name but residents nicknamed the artwork the ‘Blue Blob’.
Joseph Miller
Joseph Miller

A wellness coach and writer passionate about integrating mindfulness into modern lifestyles.