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www.sandhands.com/ Home / Library / Sculpture Catalog / 1996 Sculptures / 96M-1 Report |
96M-1 "Zen Sound" |
| It took a few years, but they talked me into it. There I was at the World Championship Sand Sculpture Contest in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia. I had three days to do my best. |
| Build number: | 96M-1 (lifetime start #92) |
| Title: | "Zen Sound" |
| Date: | September 6 through 8 |
| Location: | Harrison Hot Springs, BC |
| Start: | varied; building time 22 hours aggregate |
| Height: | Unit A: 2 feet; B: 2.5 feet; C: 4.5 feet; D: 2.8 feet |
| Base: | 19 feet X 19 feet plot, sloping |
| Photography: | 4 shots post-failure, some of other sculptures |
| Story: | "Encouragement" |
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It seems very odd to hear no surf and to worry about becoming waterlogged instead of sunburned. The sand has roots in it, and silt that irredeemably stains my shirt. Piles sound strange when carved. The water is landlocked, a long lake between mountain ranges.
At least, they tell me there are mountains somewhere. All I see is cloud down to my navel. For three days. The rain climaxes Saturday night, destroying several sculptures but I'd scrounged a piece of plastic to cover mine and it was safe. I'd finished cleaning up my sculpture, landscaping its bays and promontories that were inspired by a train ride up Howe Sound. This was how I made my usual small sculptures fill a contest plot. The final step is to spray the four sculptures with stuff that's supposed to harden and hold the moisture that keeps sand sculptures together inside. There have been problems with this liquid loosening parts of sculptures, so I spray carefully but it does no good. Two minutes after spraying, just about as the final honk ends the contest, the centerpiece of my sculpture assembly collapses with a whisper of dissociated sand. My feelings go on the ground with it. |
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It was a day of losses and gains. Other sculptures failed but most hung together under the steady rain. The light was perfect for photography, so I wandered around the area photographing my favorites.
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All contents copyright 1999 by
Larry Nelson Pre-collapse photograph by John Briggs
Written 99 June 18 | ||||||||||
96m01rpt.htm 99 June 18