Thursday Salute to Originals: Architectural Sandcastles

Remember being at the beach as a child, and not having a care in the world? All you wanted to do was run around and play in the sun and sand, and possibly take on the challenge of building a sand castle. Well, sand artist Calvin Seibert apparently never outgrew that childhood love of the beach, and continues to leave sun worshipers in awe by creating visually and architecturally stunning sandcastles.

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Seibert has been building these sand castles on New York beaches for the majority of his life, about half a century. But over these past few years his work has gained more widespread recognition. Different from the many other sand artists who create more fantastical sculptures, Seibert’s works have a high-end, refined architectural element to them. (Some looks like they are pulled right off Zaha Hadid’s sketchbook).  Sometimes taking up to two days and extreme finesse and precision to complete, these sculptures are certainly not your average plastic-pail sandcastles.

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But aside from their exquisite forms, perhaps just as intriguing is Seibert’s preference for utilizing sand as a medium. Instead of seeing the transient nature of sand as a negative, Seibert sees his castles’ temporary existence as part of what makes sand an interesting and desirable material to manipulate. To Seibert, the impending doom of his sandcastles makes his sculptures that much more appealing and significant.

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So for this Thursday’s Salute,  we tip our sunhat to you, Mr. Seibert. Your work and philosophy is truly remarkable. Our only wish is that your creations lasted longer than the next tide. But then again, their fleeting existence, like childhood, is a key part of their beauty!

Image Credits:Twisted Sifter