Fantasies in sand

A unique masterpiece in sand will be entered in Ukraine’s Book of Records. This event is scheduled for June 2 and will take place on Trukhaniv Island, during the opening ceremony of the 5th International LongArt Sand Sculpture Festival.

The organizers will deliver 200 tons of sand to the site. This year the theme is “It moves all the same,” a reference to Galileo, who uttered these words after recanting his doctrine that the earth moves around the sun. The festival will be held in the lap of nature, on the eve of World Environment Day, so painters and sculptors fittingly chose the innate beauty of the elements: Water, Fire, Earth, Air, and the Cosmos. The exhibit will last for one month.

In the past few years the festival has acquired its name, LongArt, as well as scores of devotees (this year’s event is expected to attract 100,000 visitors). Although sand castles are short-lived, Oleh Pinchuk, the festival’s honorary president and noted Ukrainian sculptor, believes that the most valuable aspect of this kind of “live sculpting,” as sand and ice sculptures are called, is precisely its dramatically short life span. One can trace and experience the ageing of the material in these works and realize that things in life have a beginning and an end. True, there have been precedents when sand sculptures have been treated with special agents and then placed in museums.

Wind and rain are no longer among the factors that ruin sand sculptures (in order to preserve the appearance of their works, sand sculptors use a mixture of clay, PVA glue, and water). Rather it is acts of vandalism or the carelessness of visitors. “People are the most destructive factor. If people treat these works of art with enough respect, our sculptures will continue standing. If people try to climb on them to pose for cameras, of course they will collapse,” say the sculptors who are taking part in the festival.

Starting on June 2, a commemorative display of 10 sculptures will be free to the public in Kyiv’s central recreational zone. On that day the winners will be announced and awards will be handed out. The most inquisitive explorers will be able to watch 10 to 15-ton sand sculptures being created.

Artists describe this festival as entertainment. They don’t have to chase after victories, and they can gather on beaches with their friends and acquaintances. While they are enjoying themselves, the sculptors are working hard to meet their goals. This year sculptors have come from various regions of Ukraine, Russia, and China.

This exotic event is becoming another fine tradition, attracting scores of noted painters, sculptors, actors, writers, and fans of “live sculpting.” Among the guests of honor who will attend the opening ceremony are the writer Andrii Kurkov; actors Ostap Stupka, Olha Sumska, Volodymyr Horiansky, and Oleksii Vertynsky; model Vlada Lytovchenko, and other noted personalities.