WORLD-RENOWNED sand sculptor Dennis Massoud gave a unique workshop on Fingal Bay Beach on Saturday, 31 May.
Known as “Sandman”, Massoud is a former sand sculpting world champion and has displayed his work across the globe.
More than just art, he says sand sculpting offers “patience and emotional balance”.
On Saturday Massoud brought his one-of-a-kind talent to the sand of Fingal Bay, teaching attendees to pare and mould sand into dolphins, turrets and whale’s tails with nothing more than a few $2-dollar shop items, a chopstick he wielded like a magician, his ocean-dipped hands and some lengths of PVC pipe.
Onlookers were captivated by Massoud’s explanation of how the sand changes due to compression and water evaporation, making it a medium that creates incredible beauty out of broken-down grainy rock and mineral particles.
Kids who eagerly watched him craft an arch were keen to put their buckets and spades to work, using their originality and imagination to craft fantasy worlds and creative sculptures out of nothing more than sand and water.
Massoud also fell in love with sand sculpting as a child, taking up the hobby when he was seven.
It is now his full time profession.
Massoud has previously been commissioned to sand sculpt in the only eight-star hotel in the world, the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
He is currently working on a project which will be 38 metres high, 100 metres at the base and will involve 80,000 tonnes of sand.
By Jacie WHITFIELD
