A waterfall, a garden and a few kinetic artworks come together to form the majestic art installation called See Monster. Touted to be one of the UK’s largest public art installations, See Monster has been conceptualized as a part of the Unboxed festival and installed on a former North Sea offshore gas platform in Weston-super-Mare, England. Know more on SURFACES REPORTER (SR).
A colossal, 1500-tonne crane lifted the 450-tonne monster onto its bright yellow legs within the Tropicana.
The four-storey See Monster has been designed by Newsubstance studio. Located inside the Tropicana on Weston-super-Mare’s seafront, See Monster is one of the 10 government-funded creative projects commissioned by Unboxed. The See Monster voyaged the North Sea and arrived on the shores of Weston-super-Mare in July. Since then, it has undergone a distinct evolution. With the help of SMPTs (Self-Propelled Modular Transporters), the See Monster had been transported up the beach to embark on its new voyage. A colossal, 1500-tonne crane lifted the 450-tonne monster onto its bright yellow legs within the Tropicana.
The See Monster ideates the concept of how industrial structures can be reused.
With a renewable design approach, the art installation aims for sustainable energy generation. Rising at 35m, the art installation includes a kinetic installation made up of 6,000 individual pieces that form the monster’s scales, a garden full of plants and trees that can thrive in a seaside micro-climate, a 10m high waterfall, a curly slide, kinetic wind sculptures, a seated amphitheatre and a broadcast studio at the base of the structure.
Additionally, the See Monster also features kinetic sculptor Ivan Black’s aluminium sun and moon sculptures which rotate in the wind, and artist Trevor Lee’s WindNest installation that uses wind and solar technology to generate energy.
A waterfall, a garden and a few kinetic artworks come together to form the majestic art installation called See Monster.
The See Monster ideates the concept of how industrial structures can be reused. Its artwork has been made in collaboration with the renewable-energy team Land Art Generator. It will be used to power the irrigation systems of the platform’s garden The Garden Lab. The See Monster is open to the public till November 05, 2022 from 9am to 9pm.
Image credits: Ben Birchall