Hugh Wilde: Sand Sculptor
When I was a kid I wanted to be an architect (and a pilot, and a vet, and a president). Aspirations aside, the skills I demonstrated early in life could not be denied: I was a whiz at the beach with a bucket and spade. All the other kids knew better than to build next to me, as their creations—nothing more than upside-down mud cakes with crudely etched windows—could ever compete with my Buckminster Fuller-inspired geodesic domes, complete with flying buttresses made from nothing more than seaweed and snail shells and, if just after a big lunch, French-fries from the beachside concession.
And so it was with great enthusiasm that I visited Harrison Hot Springs to mix with some of the finest sand sculptors in the world…and to re-live that glorious part of my childhood. Harrison has been home to sand sculpting competitions for the past 16 years, and this year was the first Vancouver Sun Tournament of Sand Sculpture Champions. Due to a bureaucratic technicality I wasn’t actually invited to compete. The officials did, however, waive the six-dollar admission fees for my assistant and I, but not before a lengthy discussion (led by me) on art, sculpture and sandcastle architecture.
Well, times have changed….And just as I’d envisioned they would! These teams of champions didn’t just construct sandcastles, but sculptures of all kinds—giant princesses, knights on horseback, fire breathing dragons, gargoyles and, my personal favourites, frog-like creatures bearing an uncanny resemblance to the monsters from one of the first books I ever read with any seriousness at all: The Wild Things.
Needless to say, these sculptures are not only lifelike, but many are larger than life. They all possess such intricate detail, from the flowing tresses on the princess who looks like she’s come straight from the salon (I hope she asked for spray), to the ornate design of a castle’s spiralling staircase (count the stairs, there’s thousands!). Because these various creations take up a sizeable part of the beach, as you weave along from exhibit to exhibit, there is the sensation of being transported to a fairyland. (My assistant wrote that previous sentence. Too much sun, I think.)
Fairyland or not, some of the exhibits are of a more serious nature. There is a Sun God carrying a fallen warrior and a lovely depiction of Romeo and Juliet. Were I to run across some of these statues on the road to Pompeii (which I’ve traveled many times), I’d easily take them as antiquities of a priceless nature. They are that striking.
One more notable point of this exhibit, especially for the students of Zen Buddhism among my readership: the splendor of these fine sculptures may be enjoyed for a mere fleeting moment in the tragic continuum of time. Though they are the embodiment of our desires to embrace the beauty of life around us, their demise still approaches. And if it’s Zen Shmen to you, what I’m trying to say is if you want to see these creations for yourselves, you better get down to Harrison by October 9, as that’s when they will be returned to their original sandy nature. There is an entrance fee of $6.00 for adults and $3.00 for children 13 and under. Seniors and Students are $5 (some exceptions apply!)
