Look to the past - sand sculpture

At times the future can seem quite grim. Climate change, endless war, income inequality and the rise of all the negative feeling with society are just some of the things humanity is and will be facing. I can understand why many of us are just not happy. Many of the institutions that we have put our trust and fate in seem to now be there to just screw us over and as humans we think we have lost all control, We are more like a herd of Soylent green, powerless to change the things that effect us. Where do the answers lie? Hoping to change the future while using the tools that are there to enslave us seems like it is pointless. We need a whole new set of tools. Maybe, we already had them at one time but have let the powers that be hide them from our eyes.

Growing up in the 70s and 80s it was a much simpler time. We grew our own vegetables and had a community around us that would watch out for each other. Nature was a thing you didn't fuck with because you were more connected to it. Nobody was rich so you felt you were all on the same page and wars seemed to be for the right reasons.
Now unfortunately we have so many virtual connections that we have forgotten the tangible ones. With nature, each other and the greater world around us.

What am I trying to say in my ham-fisted sudo-philosophical way? What is the general Thesis to my soap box opening monologue. That we may have to look to the past if we wish to have a future.

This was my first time to go to Sondervig, Denmark. It is pretty much a family run project but a big assets to the rest of the community as it brings people from far and wide to see the exhibition. The main design of the project hasn't changed much over the years. A large wall of sculpture surrounds several solo pieces in the center. This wall of sand is really something to see and every year I go back I am impressed. Standing nearly 10 meters tall and 100 meters long it wraps around and protects the center from the heavy winds and lashings of rain that sometimes hit the seaside village.

Ready for my solo

This year the theme was the future and I had the opportunity to make a solo. For me the future is something I will deal with when it becomes the present but with all the negative vibes going around about where we are headed I think it is becoming something that we really have to deal with now if we want it to be Utopian rather than dystopian.

I chose to depict the idea as a lock with a figure inside representing the key. That's US, for anyone who is playing along at home. The figure is looking to the future locked in his destiny.

Well spent youth

My Father had taught me how to pick locks when I was young. He thought it was a good skill to pass on. No my father wasn't a burglar and anything like that, just a genius who was the maintenance man in a school full of doors that always lost their keys. I was always fascinated by how such a simple mechanism could stop you in your tracks. My father, rather than have to change the locks or keys anytime they got broken or lost decided to program them all and create his own keys including his own master key for all of them. I don't know exactly how he did it but he knew his locks and taught me some great knowledge.
I'm going off the point here a bit but just take it that I have been keyed into locks for some time.(I'm not even going to say pun intended!)

Inside the tumbler we can see the different pins pressed against his body. Off course facing the way he is the lock is closed but if he turned back to look at the past for just one moment all will be revealed and released.

I hope you get where I'm going with all this. On the left hand side of the sculpture is a little landscape of a simpler time with forests, rivers and farm land, on the right a blocky city. Ok, it may all be very weird but I got the idea and even though maybe no one else did I was happy I had explored the idea.

The arch on top was a big risk for this sand and weather conditions but I wrote Hardened on it in the hopes it would become it's raison d'être. We were hit by some pretty bad rain and luckily my sculpture survived, I think the lettering worked.

The plague

There was one night in particular where it lashed out of the heavens and I was sure the next day I would be in for a redesign but No the lock held fast. The only thing that was out of place that morning was the plague of frogs that took over the sculpting site. You literally couldn't walk without stepping on one. The sculptures is built beside a little lake and this morn the weather conditions were perfect for it to spawn forth millions of frogs. It was something else, the ground was covered in the little hoppers. The next day they were all gone. I don't have a clue where they all went and don't what to.
What has this to do with the sculpture? I don't have a foggiest notion but wanted to share it anyway. Maybe there is some hidden meaning in it.

Are you still here?

Sorry for my ramblings but if you made it this far let me know down below and I'll send you some engagement tokens for your effort.
The whole project was a bit odd but it was nice to just go with my idea wherever it led me. Maybe It didn't turn out great but I may revisit the idea some day. Maybe by looked back at the sculpture now I will know where to go with it in the future.

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Ps

Thanks for reading. I use Steem to document my work as an ephemeral Sculptor of sand, snow and ice, amongst other things. This will hopefully give it a new life on the Steem blockchain. Below you will find some of my recent posts.

Musical Embrace - sand sculpture

Ireland's Eye -sand sculpture

The Flock - sand sculpture

I hope you'll join me again soon
@ammonite