This is it!!! The See Monster has finally arrived!!!
The See Monster is an old North Sea oil rig that will be transformed into the largest outdoor public art work in UK. It was supposed to open at the beginning of the summer holidays but that got delayed, and it only arrived from Netherlands in mid July.
Many locals were unhappy about the project being delayed and missing the summer holiday as it was supposed to bring more visitors to town. Others were still very happy that we will host such a big project and come to see it the day it finally arrived.
The rig weighs 350 tonne, is 25 meters tall, and it will be lifted to stand on the 10 meter tall yellow legs. We were told the lift should happen the next day but it would be dependent on the weather as it can get very windy.
I missed witnessing the lift in the end, and the next time I dropped by the rig was already safely on its yellow legs. The staircase had been built on one side, and that will be the main staircase for visitors when it opens.
So exactly what is the See Monster? Brian, the guy in red is one of the architects and was giving us an overview. I'll talk more about that in a minute.
I was eager to be part of such a significant project, and when I saw a shout-out for volunteers, I put my name forward immediately. That was back in July. Last week I went on an induction day and some basic training.
There's still a lot of work to be done before the See Monster is open to the public. The walkway from the first to top floor is being built but they've opened up a viewing platform next to the See Monster for people to see the progress
A couple days later, the first tree was planted on the top deck. It's all starting to come together now.
The See Monster is a major arts project in the UK, and apparently the first of its type in the world!! When the rig arrived from Netherlands back in July, it even made the national news, I was quite chuffed about that.
The project's aim is to inspire global conversations about reuse, renewables and the great British weather. Source Us Brits are obsessed with talking about the weather and this is the perfect topic to incorporate into this major project. When I went for my volunteer induction training the other day, I learned a lot more about the See Monster in case anyone asks me about it in the future.
There will be a 10m x 10m waterfall from the first level cascading down from the yellow legs. Under the belly of the monster, there's a cloud portal, clouds being one of the most mysterious and unpredictable features of the weather. The Garden Lab is on the first level and includes a Wind-Nest and Solar Tree. The Wind Nest has two wind turbines and is powered by a 6000-piece kinetic installation that will hang over one side of the monster like its shiny scales. The energy generated in the Garden Lab will be used to power the See Monster. And finally, the top deck is where you can experience the real British weather, wind, rain, sun, and probably even snow. Given how delayed this project is maybe it will still be here in winter!!! Joking. The latest is that it will open before the end of September and it will be here for two months, as originally planned. I'm hoping they will open at the very end of September so I can start after I come back from my HiveFest trip.
Last night was the beginning of a series of activities to kick start the See Monster project. It was called the Awakening, twenty thousand people attended, according to the news and it was absolutely incredible. I will be sharing some images with in my next post!!