When you’re walking along the beach, you’re bound to bump into some sand castles. It’s simply part of the beach-going experience! What you probably don’t see, however, are these exquisite sand sculptures. If you do manage to see one of this sculptor’s pieces on the beaches of Hawaii, consider yourself lucky. You’re not only witnessing a professional artist’s work, but also a project that won’t last until the end of the day.
Calvin Seibert creates these geometric sand castles, drawing inspiration from architects like Frank Gehry and the Bauhaus movement.
We’re not quite sure how Seibert manages to get such control over a material like sand, but by his own admission, each castle is “a bit of a test.”
They look at once like futuristic alien cities and ancient ruins.
They don’t just have to look like castles. “In my mind, they are always mash-ups of influences and ideas,” Seibert says. “I see a castle, a fishing village, a modernist sculpture, [and] a stage set for the Oscars all at once.” He also says that the most successful sculptures are the ones that take on an organic shape and could potentially keep going. “I am always adding just one more bit, and if time allowed I wouldn’t stop,” he says.
With no set idea, Seibert lets his sculptures take their own forms.
As you might expect, these sand castles don’t last very long.
They’re eventually destroyed by the wind and the tide. One castle was even flattened by a group of rambunctious kids, but it was all in good fun and Seibert captured it on film.
(via Colossal)
In all, Seibert spent 30 days on the beaches of Hawaii creating these sculptures, and while they no longer exist, we’re happy that they were at least immortalized on camera. There are many more of these sculptures that you can see in Seibert’s Flickr album. And the next time you’re on the beach, see if you can make a geometric sand castle yourself!
