Sand sculptors were shaping sand-crafted art at New River Beach as part of an international competition.
The Bay of Fundy Sand Sculpture Festival returned this summer season for another few tide cycles – working against Mother Nature and the competition clock.
The festival has dug out a new model expanding from one day to three.
“We have professionals competing from three different countries. We have six sculptors in total, and there’s three different teams,” said Karen Fralich, an organizer of the festival. “And they’re creating masterpieces that are sometimes eight feet tall and eight feet wide. And they could be 15 tonnes of sand. These are huge, huge creations.”
On the first day of the competition, beachgoers could participate– a nearly 40-year tradition. The beach was filled with many creations from the public and the first round of professional sculptures.
The other two days included workshops for kids to hone their skills and the continuation of the professional competition.
Sand sculptors and spectators came from all over to participate, with the three professional teams coming from Que., B.C., and the U.S.
An onlooker, Sarah Pentlow, said the festival had been fun and the weather was great.
“There’s a great vibe on the beach. Everyone seems in really good spirits. I’m just going to say it was packed getting in here, which shows how popular it’s become,” said Pentlow.
On Saturday, the three teams sculpted depictions of: a segment of right whale vertebrae, a piece featuring three faces called “emergence,” and an octopus that was ready for a bath when the tide came in.
Sand sculptors embrace the fact that their sculptures will eventually return to the flat landscape of the beach when the tide wipes their canvases away, according to Fralich.
“What makes sand sculpting so special is that it’s a very temporary art that you create very quickly. And then it just goes back to nature, which is not a bad thing. It’s kind of poetic to watch the tide destroy what you’ve created,” said Fralich.
The winning team of the competition, the team from the U.S., was especially ready for the tide to come in, as was their sculpture.
“He’s waiting for the tide to come in with his soap in hand, or rather soap in tentacle,” said Dan Belcher, one of the winning sculptors.
His sand-sculpting partner, Thomas Koet, said that sand sculpting is something that he will do until he’s too old to do it anymore.
“Sometimes you do something like this where it’s a one-day project. Sometimes you’re working on a project for months,” said Belcher. “It all depends. You’re working alone. You’re working with doubles. You’re working with 70 other people on a huge project, but you’re always making something new.”
The winning duo with the octopus sculpture took home a cash prize and pictures with the festival’s golden shovel.
“The people here are lovely. We hope to be able to get invited back again year after year, until we’re too old to do it,” said Belcher.
