If you’ve ever built a sand castle before, Atlantis Rising will certainly bring some humility. And a sense of wonder.
Ten artists from around the globe are competing in Rhode Island’s first and only international sand sculpting competition, now in its third year.
They’ve come from Russia, South Korea, Lithuania and elsewhere to work their magic in Charlestown, hoping to win the $7,500 prize for first place.
“Each of them gets 14 tons of sand,”said Greg Grady, a New Hampshire-based master sand sculptor who helped organize the competition for the South County Tourism Council.
“Everybody gets one big pile of sand. They get 30 hours of carving time, plus one grueling day of shoveling,” he said. “They have to do it all themselves.”
Every single one of the works emerging from this process is a showstopper.
“It’s a great mix of being an artist and a kid, plus a blue collar laborer,” said sculptor Morgan Rudluff of Berkley, California. “There’s just as much shoveling as there is artistic vision.”
Her piece features the likeness of a dear friend who passed away a few months ago. She has conjured him out of sand, right down to the jutting brim of his signature LA Dodgers baseball cap.
“I think he’d be happy I gave him a good mustache,” she said.
It doesn’t bother her at all that her creation will only last this weekend.
“To make something ephemeral to honor the passing of dear friend seems fitting,” she said. “It reminds me more of performance art, or cooking a good meal.
“There’s something about doing it for the love of doing it that I think is very honest to life’s experience.”
Last year’s winner, sculptor Andrius Petkus of Lithania, has taken a different tack. His sculpture features a child riding on the back of a giant fish, spearing at something unseen down below.
“I chose the position of the boy and the fish like Saint George who fights with the dragon,” he said.
The overall theme of the competition this year is “Enchanted Garden.”
“Sand, there’s something magical about it,” said Grady. “Everybody has played in the sand.”
Impermanence is part of that joy.
“To make something like this in another medium would take months or weeks, maybe even years,” he said.
While these masterpieces are created quickly, they’ll be gone just as fast.
“But, hey, we’ll be back next year,” Grady said.
If you want to see this year’s competition, head down to Ninigret Park in Charlestown. The event also features food trucks, costumed characters, and plenty of kid-friendly events.
But no dogs, please. Much as they too love to dig in the sand.
