Sand sculptures.
I met a guy who builds these things. They are not made with ordinary beach sand, they ship in special sand which sticks together better, and they put it in a big frame and stamp it hard, then take the frame off and carve.
I would find it hard to put so much work into something so impermanent.
These are truly magnificient!
ReplyDelete"... and they put it in a big frame and stamp it hard, then take the frame off and carve."
Interesting, but difficult to grasp as some of the works, such as this one, are so enormous. You need to ship a LOT of sand, and have a pretty high frame to do that ...
"I would find it hard to put so much work into something so impermanent."
That's the first thing that crossed my mind. But then it occurred to me that the flip side of the impermanence is rapid moldability. So it's not sculpturing in the traditional sense but rather a performance. Maybe there's some Zen wisdom that applies, too.
Maybe there's some Zen wisdom that applies, too.
ReplyDeletezen wisdom? please. if you had mentioned biblical wisdom KJV and such I would applaud that, but this so called zen stuff reflects bad images of illusions and sorcery.
anonymous said: "but this so called zen stuff reflects bad images of illusions and sorcery."
ReplyDeleteBut I like illusions and sorcery. :-)
They do a competition every year on the beach in Scheveningen (the Hague, the Netherlands). Always a different theme, always interesting to see.
ReplyDeleteThe sculptures usually stay up for a few weeks.
TTL said...
ReplyDelete"But I like illusions and sorcery. :-)"
So do I.
You should see me transmogrify a sand lion into a live one. Professor McGonagall was so proud, she gave TWENTY points to Gryffindor!
Still, it's a good thing you muggles know still photography, to keep a reminder of those beautiful artworks. This image you liked to reminds me of Hogwarts High. I'm not sure there's no discreet wizardry involved, though. Seems an astonishing accomplishment for a non-sorcerer.
Seems an astonishing accomplishment for a non-sorcerer.
ReplyDeleteokay pascal, if that's what you believe so be it. take care doctor.
Eolake: "Still, it's a good thing you muggles know still photography, to keep a reminder of those beautiful artworks."
ReplyDelete*Slaps palm of hand on forehead*
Hey Eolake, Pascal found a solution. Take a photo so it will be permanent! :-)
I saw a guy working on a sand sculpture in Carmel, CA. As far as could tell he was working direct with the local sand - a very fine grain. There was no molds involved. The subject was a sunbather. (Note to self, find print or negative and scan).
ReplyDeleteI hear the trick to the process is the right sand, and use it very wet.
Sand sculpture, or chalk sketch on sidewalk, about as permanent as a ballet or mime.
Well, yes, I do believe it's an astonishing accomplisment.
ReplyDeleteI also believe it is done exclusively through the magic power of human talent. :-)
I once saw a sci-fi novel (I'll buy it and read it some day if I can find it again) that told of an intelligent animal species, on an alien planet, something like advanced ants/termites. They lived in amazing sorts of sand castles, built on the beaches. After each high tide, the castle gets demolished by water, and they have to build it again. "But could it be, the Humans wonder, that these creatures hold the key to a mysterious but essential wisdom?"
I think the whole planet, an Earth colony, was doomed by volcanic activity or something...
TTL, I think an even better permanence would be a Hi-res hologram. Or, failing that, a Viewmaster disk!!!
Hello? Anybody listening out there among you sand-&-snow artists? There's a blank market to exploit here! Hear the demand. Hear the eager children! (Puppy eyes in 3-D.)
Alex said...
"I hear the trick to the process is the right sand, and use it very wet."
Correct. It has to be very wet, and preferably quite fine, to increase the liquid/solid interface effect. This gives it great cohesion.
I hear the Italian Mafia used to assassinate people with an untraceable weapon: a sock filled with compacted wet sand. In the adequate envelope and for a shock, it can be as hard as stone. At least for one blow. Wet sand in a plastic bag is almost as hard as concrete, hence the frequent use of sandbag military protections.
Amazing thing, the laws of grainy Physics.
"Sand sculpture, or chalk sketch on sidewalk, about as permanent as a ballet or mime."
Now that's an interesting wisdom to ponder. Many beautiful things are not only temporary, but instantaneous by essence.
My conclusion: Carpe diem, folks.