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

Damaged sculpture with eyes attached
Authorities stated they could not remove the eyes without damaging the artwork.

A teenager from the Land Down Under has appeared in court after allegedly defacing a large blue sculpture of a mythical creature by affixing plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, 19 years old, participated 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 said that CCTV footage captured a individual putting artificial eyes on the sculpture, which locals have nicknamed the “Cast in Blue”.

The accused 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 legal representative before her next court date in December.

Sculpture after eye removal
The damaged sculpture following the googly eyes were removed.

The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that repairs to the much-loved community sculpture would be expensive as the stickers were impossible to be detached without damaging the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is unacceptable and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor remarked in September. “It is not harmless fun, it is costly - it is also frustrating 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 drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its price tag and appearance.

Costing A$136,000 ($89,000; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the sculpture represents a legendary giant animal, with the creators influenced by an ancient marsupial ant-eater discovered in local caves that was “huge, slow-moving, and intriguing”.

Formal name vs. nickname
Cast in Blue is its formal title but residents called the piece the ‘Blue Blob’.
Jeremy David
Jeremy David

Cybersecurity expert with over a decade of experience in threat analysis and digital defense strategies.