Looking back over my last few sand sculpture posts I see that all the sculptures I shared were just quick one-day demonstration pieces, nothing more than 3D sketches and not what I would call real sand sculptures. I hope people are not getting a bad impression of what can be done with sand. I hope they will bear with me as I promise some better pieces will come up soon.
But not today.
Kilkee Sand sculpture race
For what it was it was grand. Very rough around the edges but It was a race.
I was invited to make a small sculpture at the finish line of a race they do in Kilkee, Co, Clare. It is a half marathon done for charity. I was to start when they started and have something finished by the time the first runner crossed the finish line. Then I would judge the sand castle competition that was happening on the beach behind me.
It sounded like fun, I had around 2 hours by Google's estimate. Luckily the organisers had already dumped a pile of sand on the promenade so I could start making when the starting gin fired.
3,2,1 Go!
I was like the athletes as I waited doing stretches and carving on the spot. When the gun fired I got straight to work. As they headed off I lifted my shovel and began roughing out in a sprint. This was beach sand, so I knew I wouldn't be breaking any records. Not for height and not for quality. I just wanted the pile of loose sand to resemble something apt for the end of the race.
The next two hours were a blur, with me working as fast as I could and trying to keep interactions with the audience minimal. I had one eye on the sand and the other along the coast road to see when the first contestant was close to the finish line beside me.
I know from my photos it looked like there was no one there but I only had time to take these images when all was said and done and the place was cleared out. During the race, lots of families were milling around.
Just after 1 hour 15 mins later the first runner could be seen in the distance. Damn, Google! These guys were fast. I only had a few minutes to add the finishing touches as they approached.
The racers beat me. I was finishing the shoes and still had the writing to do, then clear away the excess sand.
Everyone's a winner... and a loser.
I probably finished in 100 position and collapsed in a heap beside my sculpture. It was an interesting experience to carve as fast as I could but not something I would say I enjoyed. I had no time to stand back and balance my composition and every cut with my trowels had to matter. Only when he was done could I even look at what I made.
When I had collected myself I went onto the beach and looked at all the castles and other things the budding sand artists had made. There was some great work there and I found it hard to choose a winner. After a quick speech where I told them they had all done a great job and why I had reached my decision. I gave out prizes to as diverse a group of sculptures as possible. For me, the sculptures that showed the most creativity and heart got my vote. Not the fastest or biggest. Art can not be judged against other art as the mixture of styles and skill levels is not apples to apples.
