Battle of the Bay - sand sculpture

It has been a while since I shared a sand sculpture. I have keeping things in Chronological order and had other projects to write posts about that I made in the start of 2018. Now, I'm back with this first one I did in May of that year.

It was for a festival called Battle of the Bay which happens on Bull Island, a large sand spit in Dublin which owes its existence to Captain Cook of mutiny on the Bounty fame.

The sand is not great but OK for a one-day sculpture and workshops. I spent a few hours putting these seals together for an area themed around conservation at the festival and then spent the rest of the day doing workshops with families and children.

Sand sensay

I enjoy workshops with children as they force me to think about what I know so I can teach them. Being able to explain what you do to a child is a great way to learn what you have learned. If that makes sense. Children and adults seem to get a kick out of it and, interestingly, the parents are usually still carving when the kids have gotten bored and gone away to the next shiny thing. I figure it is because I am giving them permission to play which is something grownups don't get an excuse to do very often. Playing is very important and, sadly, society doesn't allow us the time for it.

A French guy organises Battle of the Bay. His name is Francoise and he has a couple of shops and schools to learn about kite surfing. With the festival, they also have a completion of kit surfing which is cool to watch, especially when the surfers fly up high into the sky on the wind before finding the water again.

Nature and nurture

The area where I was working was sponsored by Dublin City Council as they were trying to bring awareness to the wildlife on Bull Island. There are a lot of Seals there and it was pup season so I reminded dog walkers to keep their dogs under control so as not to attack them.

The sculpture itself was not great but it was enough to give people an example of what's possible if they play long enough. It was all a bit rushed as I was preserving my energy for the screaming kids.

Normally I have simple tools which they can use. Large ice cream sticks are good because they are made of wood and not the worst thing to get lost in the sand, which always happens.

I teach them about preparing the sand by compacting and how to design a sculpture taking into account the material. I also teach them how to break objects down into simple primitive forms and then how to round things off with nice details. I have designs they can work from to help start them off. It is fun and sometimes people create wonderful works of art that I get inspired by.

Being naive can produce very different approaches which I can learn from.

Seal of approval

It was a nice day on the beach with lots of talking and playing. I have been told several times that I am great with children and have some patience. Little do these people know that I have the same mentality as my students.

I do get on well with them. When I was in school all of my best friends were children.

The end of the day came. And, not a moment too soon as the tide came right up to where I was working. After a picture or two, I let the class smash everything including my Seals. This helps wipe the slate clean and I could walk away leaving the beach as I found it.