In the world of sand sculpture, it is very important to be a team player. Not every job has you creating your own solo piece and to be able to work with others and not be a prima donna about it is a very valuable trait to have. This, in the world of art, can be a rarity.
I love jamming off other artists and I don't mind being in the background just working away on the decor. Of course, I like the limelight but to create something that is a setting for others is also pretty cool, especially if it all comes together as one piece.
I suppose it could be my experience of working in film now and then, in the art dept in particular. I know that the work I have done wasn't what those watching the film pay attention to but it is integral to the whole product as it adds atmosphere and something the actors can work within.
Setting the scene
For this project in Sodervig, Denmark the theme was Gladiators and everyone wanted to make a character in the arena. Of course, without the Arena itself there would be no setting so Niall Magee and myself took on this job.
You may have seen my other posts from previous years of this project and if you have, Thank you. The project involves a large wall of sand stretching over 100 meters long and over 6 meters high.
Being pretty much a flat wall and the Colosseum being very much round meant that we had to think of a new approach of getting that round peg into a square hole.
Luckily there is one point in the wall where there is a slight change in direction and we bagsed that area. At least there was a bit of roundness going on and I was sure we could amplify that with some clever perspective carving.
We chose to do the inside of the arena as we thought it was the most iconic and the part that would make the most sense as a backdrop to the other sculptures. It would be a bit silly if they were all just fighting outside Like Irish people do after the pubs close.
A team sport
Having a fair amount of experience making wacky perspectives I began laying out the big lines and surfaces and then Niall would get stuck in and help with the windows etc. This way of working was best because I could already see the big picture and the perspective we wanted. Having one person take lead and the other giving critique can be the best approach when working big. I wanted to give the viewer the feeling that they were actually in the space.
Niall and I work very well together and can work off each other's strengths and have fun doing so.
PIP
The organiser had one request from us and that was to have the Emperor somewhere. Of course, the scale differences would become an issue so we came up with the idea that the whole thing was all a massive 'Where's Waldo'. and as a bit of a visual gimmick, we would have a big magnifying glass singling him out in the crowd.
While I continued with the big picture Niall worked on this picture in picture.
Filling the stadium
Once all the architectural lines were in place it was time to make the audience. I had tried different textures to achieve the effect but they all looked too uniform, it was time to bite the bullet! People thought I was crazy but I said I was going to carve everyone individually and that is exactly what I did. Each and every one had arms legs bodies and a head and even though I made it a game for myself as I tried to reduce the amount of cuts needed to make each figure I carved thousands of the little spectators. I hope you will forgive me that none were perfect but, come'on that was a lot of carving and although I may be crazy I wasn't going to give each one a face and eyeballs.
At the edges, we worked with others to show some of the outsides of the building. I remember Ludo Roders helped on the left side.
When it was finished it gave a great impression of being there and also doubled as a great backdrop to the other sculptures carved in front of it. From a distance the perspective worked really well and made the piece look much bigger than it was, and it was big.
Glaringly obvious
The weather was great for the whole project, maybe too great as the sun never let up. In this part of Denmark, the sun sets very late in the night and with the glare from the sand I never did get what I would say are great photos but I hope you get the picture.
The whole thing looked quite cinematic. I could even imagine using sand to create a film set if the need ever arises.
Ps
Thanks for reading. I use PeakD to document my work as an ephemeral Sculptor of sand, snow and ice, amongst other things. This will hopefully give it a new life on the Hive Blockchain. Below you will find some of my recent posts.
Kolmården Zoo - cement sculpture (Part 2)
Kolmården Zoo - cement sculpture (Part 1) 2011
Haapavesi Fire and Ice sculpture festival - Documentary
I hope you'll join me again soon
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