The Sand we use

The sculptures are made of special sand. We call it Sculpture Sand.
It comes from a quarry in Belgium , from Mont Saint Guibert, to be precise, about 30 kilometres east from Brussels , in the direction of the Ardennes .

 

 

The reason why we can't use the local beach sand is simple: the tides have eroded the sand and the grains have become all round, like marbles. That is very comfortable to walk on but of no use to make sand sculptures of several metres high!

The sand we use in Le Touquet has over 50 million years of age and has rested in a quarry. As a result, the grain has kept its angular shape. After ‘compacting' this sand with heavy machines, we obtain hard blocks that allow the sculptors to create any shape and form they desire.

This so called ‘compacting' is a very hard job that demands great precision. We fill wooden forms with the sculpture sand and with machines, we compact the sand. The degree of compacting must be the same throughout the form, to prevent cracks in the sand once the form is taken off.

Once the sculptors arrive, we take off these forms layer by layer and the sculptors can give the shapes to the sand according to the pre-designed sketches, adding of course their personal and artistic interpretation.

The grain of the sand we use is very fine, thus allowing very much detailed work. One of our sculptors has specialized in miniatures. The smallest sand sculpture in the world is not more than 3 centimetres (about 1.2 inches!) high and represents a gnome walking with a cane. The cane has been completely detached from the body of the gnome and measures no more than 2 millimetres (0.08 inches!) in diameter. You would almost need a magnifying glass to see the face, but it pays off: you would be surprised by the strong and detailed expression in its face! In sand…

A last yet valuable asset of our Sculpture Sand is its colour: yellow/gold, this sand gives a very particular extra dimension to the sculptures. The sun gives the sand a wide range of colours, shadows and contrasts. The sculptures get deepness and details are being accentuated.

A same remarkable effect is being brought about by the special, fairytale lightning at night. Worth the visit at dark! (See opening hours for Night Visits)