Carving a niche

World renowned sand sculptors to create structure at Al Ain Flower Show, opening today

They are adults who build sand castles, but their creations are very different from anything one would normally see on the beach. Briton Baldrick Buckle and Dutchman Henri Schollen carve not just castles but also life size figures, replicas of famous monuments and other works of art from sand. "It is a hobby that has grown out of control," say the sand carvers who own Sandaholics International, based in the Netherlands.

The company specialises in large sand sculptures and the duo travel all over the world to showcase their unique art. They are currently in Al Ain and hope to create the tallest sand sculpture in the gulf region, at Al Towayya Park.

"We pride ourselves on the integrity of our designs. So when we were invited by the Al Ain Municipality and Tourism Authority to participate in the Al Ain Flower Show and Festival 2002, we held several workshops to conceptualise a sculpture that would reflect the ethos of the local culture," says Stanley Wilson, manager, Sandaholics International, Dubai.

The final design is a tower, eight metres tall and 25 metres across, with five arms that represent the five pillars of Islam. Each of the five sections between the arms will have sculpted motifs that depict different aspects of the heritage and lifestyle of Al Ain.

"We plan to create a spectacular work of art that people who live here can relate to and be proud of," promises Buckle.

The two artists drifted into sand sculpting while searching for pictures of castles for a mural that Buckle was working on. They found a book with many beautiful sand castles and were tempted to try building some on the beach.

"It was great fun and the results encouraged us to enter a sand sculpting competition in Amsterdam," shares Buckle.