A vision splendid or eyesore? South Australian court to rule on ‘Blue Blob’ sculpture vandalism charge

On Mount Gambier’s Bay Road, the “Blue Blob” stands like a proud but paunchy echidna, its seamless coating restored to perfection after an alleged googly eye stunt that captured the world’s attention.Amelia Vanderhorst, 20, from Mount Gambier in South Australia, was charged with damaging the town’s $136,000 Cast in Blue sculpture by sticking large novelty eyes on it on 13 September.Locals refer to the sculpture, which represents a “giant mythical megafauna creature” reimagined in blue to reflect nearby Blue Lake, as the Blue Blob.Pictures tell the story: the Blob sporting two goofy looking eyes; then two ragged holes where the Blob’s two-pack paint was ripped off; then the Blob under repair, looking like a wounded soldier in a gas mask.Now, the Blob is back, but the court case drags on.According to court documents, police allege Vanderhorst, “knowing that she had no lawful authority to do so, damaged Cast in Blue, intending to damage property or being recklessly indifferent” to whether it was damaged.Vanderhorst has not entered a plea.The damage was less than $2,500, police said. On Tuesday, the case was adjourned until January. Vanderhorst’s lawyer said he needed time to negotiate with the prosecution.At the time, the council said it was the second act of vandalism against the Blob, but this second attack was captured by CCTV.“This wilful damage to a valued public artwork is inappropriate and disrespectful,” the mayor of Mount Gambier, Lynette Martin, said. “It is not harmless fun. It is costly.”The Cast in Blue sculpture before it acquired googly eyes. Photograph: City of Mount GambierAs more than one person in the town remarked, it would have been better if Blu-tack was used for the alleged eye-sticking.If Vanderhorst is found guilty and penalised, it might be the first time a googly eye stunt has been punished – but it will be far from the first time googly eyes have been stuck on public objects.The vandalised Cast in Blue under repair in Mount Gambier in September. Photograph: City of Mount GambierA Copenhagen art project used the term “eyebombing”, which the BBC described in 2013 as “using googly eyes to bring objects to life”. The late Pee-wee Herman helped popularise the practice by promoting the BBC story.In 2022, giant, slightly askew googly eyes appeared on the dignified statue of Adelaide city planner Colonel William Light and several other sites around the city.Days later, pranksters put a pair on Adelaide’s Big Scotsman, a larger-than-life bagpiper adorning a city motel. The motel manager reported some damage to his sporran.The New York Times reported several bouts of googly eyes being stuck on public art in Oregon earlier last year.A Facebook page titled Googly Eye Bandits is dedicated to global googly eye stunts.The news of the latest alleged googly stunt spread worldwide and was reported by media in the UK, the US and New Zealand.Outside Mount Gambier’s magistrates court, Vanderhorst didn’t speak to the media and instead hurried past, eyes averted.