Ocean
Watch
Monday, November 29, 1999
Sand art built using
water’s ‘magnetism’
I recently had a remarkable marine animal experience.
In one small area, I saw two huge moray eels, three leaping dolphins, a
giant octopus, and some of the most unusual snails, crabs and sea stars I
have ever encountered.
And then there were two lovely mermaids, King Neptune
in his chariot and lots of twinkling luminescence.
No, this wasn't a day of delirium at Hanauma Bay. It
was my first view of the exquisite holiday sand sculpture at the
Pearlridge Center mall.
Four artisans from a mainland company, Sand Sculptures
International, created this statue of sand called "Undersea
Christmas." It took the men three weeks and 60 tons of Barbers Point
sand to complete the piece.
It's hard to believe the intricate design was not
preplanned, but according to company president Todd Vander Pluym, that
isn't how he does it. He simply chooses a theme, then he and the other
artists look at pictures for ideas.
Once they have the general image in mind, the artists
moisten their sand with water. There is no recipe for this mixture;
rather, the men judge the correct amounts by feel. When the sand is
properly moist, the artists make blocks of it from forms and arrange them
in the contour of the imagined monument. Then off they go, carving,
scraping and shaping under the curious and admiring eyes of shoppers and
passersby.
One of the reasons sand sculptures are so extraordinary
is that they are so temporary. We know these intricate shapes and forms
are a trick of sand and water that will soon revert to their previous
disorder. In fact, this is one of the draws of this kind of art for Vander
Pluym -- the medium is 100 percent recyclable.
So, what is it that makes wet sand so artistically
cooperative?
Two physicists wondered the same a few years ago and
devised an experiment. They reported their results in a 1997 issue of the
science journal Nature.
In a nutshell, the scientists found that in precise
amounts, water builds tiny, liquid bridges between grains of sand.
Here's how it works: Each molecule of water is like a
tiny magnet, positive on one side, negative on the other. Therefore, like
all magnets, water molecules tend to stick together. This attraction water
has for itself is the reason water forms into droplets.
If you add just the right amount of water to just the
right amount of sand, water's pull on itself is strong enough to hold up,
or bridge, grains of sand. Then, you can build a castle.
But add too much sand and water molecules are too few
and far apart to make sturdy polar bridges, and the mixture falls apart.
Imagine 100 domino-size magnets all stuck together. If
you put a marble in the middle, the magnets will stick together around the
marble, holding it in their midst. But add 50 marbles, and the magnets
aren't strong enough to hold together and the mass crumbles.
Since too-dry sand can't maintain a shape, I wondered
if the Pearlridge sculpture needed periodic spraying during its six-week
display. No, say the artists. There is enough humidity in Hawaii's air to
keep the structure intact without touch-ups.
You can see this amazing piece of art at the Pearlridge
Center mall until Jan. 9. On that day, workers will demolish the sculpture
and the sand will go back to the local cement company that delivered it.
The artists don't feel bad that their work of art will
be torn down because that's the beauty of sand castles.
Their temporary nature reminds us to enjoy the moment.
