I had a bad feeling about this sculpture when I first arrived. They hoped to break the world record for the highest sand castle and with my first look and feel of the sand I had an uneasy feeling. I don't like this continual push to go bigger and taller all the time especially when it introduces risk to the lives of those working on it. At 15 meters this thing was really a sight to be seen but as with all sculptures that try and reach for the skies it was going to be a big decorated cake.
Late comer
I had arrived a few days into the carving because there was no point having lots of people hanging around when the space up on top was only big enough for a few sculptors to work. The team was added to as the sculpture was carved down.
Whenever I am doing something risky, I like to compact my own sand to be sure that it is strong and safe but here I was just jumping in without the knowledge I needed. The sand was very soft and inconsistent and on further investigation, I discovered that the compaction was rushed without using enough water or properly compacting the foundation pile.
The sculpture was located in an abandoned steelworks factory in Oberhausen, Germany. It has now become a park and a venue. A very cool location with amazing structures being reclaimed by nature. I joined around 15 other sculptors as we tried to get our name in the record books.
Packing my bags
Getting stuck in, I picked a side and started working down trying to fit into the theme and style of what was already done. The structure was steep and instinctively I tried to buttress the sculpture with the sand I had to work with. I wasn't taking any chances. I began by making large suitcases that were stacked on top of each other as I stepped down and out.
I was having fun with my fellow carvers and enjoying the project. We were staying in a nice hotel where each had their own room and the food was good. I was even beginning to let my hair down a little when one of the other carvers, Joris, came around and asked did I notice any cracks. WTF! I looked up and started to see many which had not been there on my morning inspection.
We shouted to everyone to abandon ship immediately and leave their tools. This wasn't good. We still had many forms on (Those wooden frames which you compact into) and to have cracks just suddenly appear all over the place meant only one thing. This thing was coming down.
After regrouping and lots of discussions we decided that nobody was going up there again, not until we had cherry pickers to assess the situation. That evening we sat with the organisers over drinks and devised a game plan. It was decided that the most experienced carvers would go the next day and take a look from the safety of the Cherry pickers and see what could be done to save the thing. Everyone else would have a day off. Happily, for me, I was classed as one of the veterans going to the site. It would have killed me to be enjoying a day off when adventure was to be had on a pile of sand and I figured with all my years of experience doing risky sculptures my opinion would be useful.
We got two Cherry pickers and since I did not have the licence to drive one (I do now) I went in the gondola with Dutch Australian Jino Van Bruinessen. In the other were Kevin Crawford and Lucas (The technical lead).
Ascending in the gondolas we could see cracks running everywhere...
And !
I !
Mean !
Everywhere !
From top to bottom and all the way through. After our inspection, It was obvious, (to me at least) that the right-hand side of the sculpture was doomed. That all the cracks ran towards that side.
I shot some videos of what we discovered to share with our colleagues in the evening. I already had a plan forming of what I would do but wanted to add it to the pile of other suggestions. I would propose that we first try to remove some weight from that side and then get rid of all the forms from the safety of the Cherry pickers. If things survived at that point we could see about carving down if it was safe. With the forms off we would know if the block of sand could hold itself together and then simplify the sculpture as needed.
Salvage
We pretty much went with that plan as there was really no other option. So the next day the four of us returned and got to work.
After removing what could not be saved and seemed overly dangerous we then set about removing the forms. We knew this was dangerous but tried to be gentle and work at arms reach from the relative safety of the Cherry picker. Then this happened.
Caught on camera
It's funny how things can't happen these days without someone filming it. Be it some poor guy getting the crap kicked out of him by the police or a large sand sculpture collapsing. This footage was shot by someone who just happened to be flying his drone. He gifted us the footage. Really nice shot (pity about the music)
Someone else was standing closer with their phone. That's me in the Gondola with Jeno. We were removing the wooden forms and looked up to see the whole thing coming towards us. To see buildings collapsing and crumbling to dust as they came towards us was like watching an apocalyptic movie. I wish I had it on camera from there as it was an amazing point of view. To say It scared the crap out of me would be an understatement, But luckily we had made the right choice of Cherry-picking our battles. (See what I did there).
When the dust settled we were still alive and I started to bale out of the gondola but then changed my mind and helped Jeno dig the machine free.
Interestingly it came down just as I predicted, like a house of cards. I would have been a goner if it had happened while I worked as it was everything above where I had been working just two days before. I phoned home and told Clodagh what had happened but did not give her all the details incase she would freak out.
We regrouped and came up with a new plan. Now it was time to rebuild.
Rebuild
We still had half the sand compaction, although it still looked perilous. The biggest peak was gone but incredibly the organisers still wanted to go for the record for height. We had decided to leave the rest of the forms on and bury them with sand to hide them which was actually a disqualification but if we could still get the height maybe we would get a B for effort.
So we began again. Just the four of us for three days. All the other carvers had paid days off to explore Oberhausen. I was happy to be working as that is what I was there to do and although Oberhausen is a nice city I had seen it several times before.
We began at the top and were able to compact around 75cm more sand to make the height again. We also moved the peak to the centre of mass.
I am not the greatest with heights. Well, actually, it is the hitting the ground very hard if I fell that I have a problem with. Working up here and having to lean over the edge was pushing it for me and I was a bit on edge after the experiences I had the last few days.
Snappy
The technical lead is a nice guy and all but he is not a sculptor and the compaction was his responsibility. Obviously, that had not gone too well with the corners cut to do it faster. It was when he started questioning what I and the other sculptors were doing that I snapped at him. I had seen more cracks in an area and I wanted to remove it before we continued down. He said no that we should leave it and it would be fine.
I said calmly ' With all due respect (which was quite little at this point) ' I may not know what I know but I have been doing this for over 20 years and I follow my gut, When I think a piece should come off I'm taking it off.' He shut up and let us do our job.
Working like the clappers
We spent three days recarving everything, working down till we thought it was safe to bring the other sculptors back. It was much more simple than it had been, we needed to work fast and buttress as much as we could. It was difficult to work at arms length but we were not taking any more chances especially when lives depended on it.
It would not be beautiful but we would survive to tell the tale.
As sculptures go to was not the ugliest. But as cakes go it was quite acceptable. Lots of long downward and outward sloping surfaces till be were beyond the danger fall zones.
Finally, the other sculptors could come out of retirement and get to work. We still had a few logos, etc., to do a bit higher up with the Cheery pickers but nothing structural, so I stuck with that until I ran out of time. it was also nice to be up above to keep an eye for cracks and sound the alarm if anything was shifting. The sculptors were on high alert and ready to jump at any second.
Moving on
I needed to get home before it was completely finished and left before this image was taken. I wish I had more pictures of this stage to show you but they may be lost and as this post has gone on long enough I think you will forgive me.
It was nice that we saved the patent and that it was finished in the end. It was the talk of the sand sculpture world for a while as people were very upset with the dangers it presented. We didn't get the Guinness book record in the end due to the hidden wooden forms and to be honest I am quite accepting of that. I am just happy that everyone survived to sculpt another day.
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.
Cog in the machine - sand sculpture
HMS Nemo - sand sculpture
Statue to an unknown hero - sand sculpture
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I am also starting to create NFTs of my sculptures and welcome you to my gallery where you can own a bit of ephemeral sculpture history.