Sand Art in Blooming Baroque
Sand and nature art from 09.05. to 28.07.2024
There is a grain of magic in the fabulous sand art exhibition from 9 May to 28 July 2024. As a tribute to the 65th anniversary of the Fairytale Garden, several talented sand artists retell the stories of our childhood with impressive sand sculptures.
Favourite figures from famous fairy tales and legends from around the world are created from fine sand. The motifs are carved out of the sand with extraordinary precision, attention to detail and a special technique. Visitors can experience exactly how this works live at the Speed Carving Contest. In this competition, the artists have to complete their sand sculptures within 24 hours - this requires talent, nerves and a steady hand!
For the first time, carved wooden artworks will complement the sand art and create a magical fairytale world.
Why do sand sculptures last so long?
Many have ever built a sandcastle on the beach. With wet sand that's pretty easy - but once the sand was dry, there was a risk of collapse. But why do the sculptures of the Sand artists last so long?
The sand artists, also called Carver, do not use the normal sand from the sandy beach, because it is very old and already washed by the tides. It is about as good for building as if you were trying to stack tennis balls. The sand used by the carver must be square and sharp-edged.
Of course, the sand slumps of professionals are also larger than normal sandcastles that you build on holiday ... but you must also take into account that for a figure 30 tons of sand and more are used. Before the carvers can get started, the sand is compacted layer by layer. And that takes quite some time, because only small amounts, ie a layer of about 30 cm thickness can be compacted, because it is very important that the sand is very compact afterwards. During compaction, the angular sharp-edged grains of sand interlock perfectly and "hold each other" firmly.
The carving of the sand sculptures is then always from top to bottom. It is important that there is a "loose" layer of sand at the bottom, where any rain can drain well and seep through.
Some carvers then sprinkle the figures with a protein-containing liquid that lays like a very thin skin around the sand sculpture, but is still biodegradable. This invisible skin gives a temporary additional protection against heavy rain, so that sand sculptures are extremely durable.
