Sand art and play

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Sandcastle" redirects here. For other uses, see Sandcastle (disambiguation).

For Microsoft's documentation generator, see SandCastle.

An elaborate sand castle

An example of a drip castle

A simple sandcastle on a lake beach

A dragon figure made in Torremolinos, Spain

A sand castle is a type of sand sculpture resembling a miniature building, often a castle. The two basic building ingredients, sand and water, are available in abundance on a sandy beach, so most sand play takes place there, or in a sandpit.

A variant on the sandcastle is the drip castle, made by mixing the sand with water and dripping it from a fist held above. Some refer to the technique as "dribbling." When the slurry of sand and water lands on existing sand structures, the effect is Gaudi-esque.

Sand castles are typically made by children, simply for the fun of it, but there are also sand sculpture contests for adults that involve large, complex constructions.

An example of extremely sophisticated sand art is the Buddhist mandala.

1 Competition
2 Construction
3 Other sand games
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Competition

Since 1989, a World Championship in Sand Sculpture has been held in Harrison Hot Springs (Canada, BC), also known as "Harrisand." The competition has solo, double and team categories. The world's tallest sandcastle was built on Myrtle Beach in South Carolina as part of the 2007 Sun Fun Festival. The structure was 49.55 feet (15.1 metres) high. It took 10 days to construct, and used 300 truckloads of sand.^[1]

On September 1, 2007, Ed Jarrett completed his world-record 31.7-foot (9.66 m) high sand castle, at the Point Sebago Resort in Casco, Maine. The "Castle to the Sun" was constructed to raise funds to benefit sick children at Camp Sunshine on Sebago Lake. He created a 29-foot 3 inch (8.9 m) sand castle in Falmouth, Maine in 2003 declared the world's tallest.^[2]

[edit] Construction

The sand must be reasonably fine, otherwise the grains will not stick together. Dry sand is loose, wet sand adherent, except when it is too wet. According to the BBC TV programme Coast, the ideal ratio is eight parts dry sand to one part water.^[3] When the sand dries out or gets wet, the shape of the structure may change; "landslides" are common. Also the mixture of fine (mostly sharper) and coarse sand granules is very important to reach good "sand construction" results. The more fine granules are rounded by natural influences like sea, rivers or fluvials. The connection between the individual sand granules will be influenced negatively. More about sand and the shape of sand you'll find on [1]. So for optimum results and less "landslides" in "sand construction" you have to do some research to find the best suitable sand.

Shovels are the main construction tool, although some people use only their hands. Water from the sea is brought to the site with a bucket or other container. Sometimes pieces of wood or other materials are added to reinforce structures.

Sand sculpting as an art form has become very popular in recent years. Hundreds of annual competitions are held all over the world. Techniques can be quite sophisticated, with record-breaking achievements recorded in the Guinness World Records. Sometimes contests are staged as advertising or promotional events.

Some sandcastle artists are purists: They use no artificial materials, formwork, coloring, adhesive or heavy machinery. One is G. Augustine Lynas, who has been building public sand sculptures for over 50 years. In sand sculpting competitions, however, the rules often require the finished sculpture to be sprayed with a stabilizing coating that preserves it, and allows the work to be properly judged and enjoyed by spectators. Coated sculptures can last for months.

[edit] Other sand games

One person is buried in sand by another; their sandcastle is visible in the background.

One of the main attractions of a sandy beach, especially for children, is playing with the sand, with more possibilities than a sandbox. One can make a mountain, a pit (encountering clay or the water table), canals, tunnels, bridges, a sculpture (representing a person, animal, etc. like a statue, or a scale model of a building), etc. Tunnels large enough to enter are extremely hazardous; children have been killed when such underground chambers have collapsed. This may happen if the tide comes up or the structure is hit by a wave. Sometimes a dam can be built to hold back the water, or canals can be dug to contain the water. Burying someone up to his/her neck in sand, or burying oneself, is another popular beach "entertainment."