Australian Teen Charged for Supposedly Attaching Sticker Eyes on ‘Blue Blob’ Sculpture

Damaged sculpture with eyes attached
The local council stated they were unable to take off the eyes without damaging the artwork.

A teenager from the Land Down Under has faced legal proceedings after reportedly vandalizing a large art piece of a mythical creature by applying plastic eyes to it.

Amelia Vanderhorst, aged 19, participated remotely at the local court in South Australia on that day, charged with one count of property damage.

In a statement at the time of the September incident, the municipal authorities explained that surveillance video captured a individual putting fake eyes on the artwork, which residents have nicknamed the “Blue Blob”.

Ms Vanderhorst made no plea and informed the court she was unwell, according to media sources, with the judge recommending her to secure a legal representative before her next court date in December.

Art piece after eye removal
The damaged sculpture after the stickers were removed.

The following day the reported event, the local mayor said that restoration to the popular public artwork would be costly as the stickers were impossible to be detached without harming the art piece.

“This intentional vandalism to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” City of Mount Gambier mayor said in September. “It is not innocent amusement, it is costly - it is also frustrating to those people of our community who have welcomed Cast in Blue.”

The mayor added the council would pursue the “significant” restoration expenses from those responsible for the damage.

At the time the artwork was initially suggested, it drew mixed reactions from the local community due to its cost and design.

Priced at 136,000 Australian dollars (eighty-nine thousand US dollars; sixty-eight thousand pounds), the artwork depicts a legendary giant animal, with the sculpture’s designers inspired by an prehistoric anteater-like marsupial found in local caves that was “massive, lumbering and fascinating”.

Formal name vs. nickname
The sculpture is its official name but locals nicknamed the artwork the ‘Blue Blob’.
Shannon Richmond
Shannon Richmond

A tech strategist with over a decade in digital innovation, specializing in AI integration and sustainable tech solutions.