DAY 3

16th Aug 2020

Port Eynon Bay, Gower

DYDD 3

16th Awst 2020

Bae Port Eynon, Gwyr

Artists /Artistiaid:

SARA HOLDEN, TINA MARIE CUNNINGHAM,

AND AMI MARSDEN,

Project Photographer / Ffotograffydd Prosiect: Phil Holden

Our 16th annual beach sculpture festival, continued its journey to Port Eynon Bay. Located on the most southerly point of the Gower Peninsula, Britain's first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and located within easy reach of the historic Port Eynon village. The bay is safe, sandy and also suitable for watersports. The interesting selection of rock pools during low tide are perfect for inquisitive children to explore and the lifeguards patrolling the beach during the summer months ensure clean safe bathing. At the far end of the bay, just off Port Eynon Point, is the eighteenth century ruin of the old Salt House which was used for extracting salt from sea water. The beach was voted the Best British Beach in the 2011 Great British Beach Awards. Port Eynon Bay is a very popular beach resort and has a Blue Flag which was achieved in part by environmental education activities on the beach such as our Beach Sculpture Festival. Lots of treasures can be discovered on this beach such as shells like Wendletraps, the spire-shaped shells with diagonal ridges, Common Limpets, Chitons or Coat-of-mail which are glued limpet-like to rock and even cowries if one looks carefully. Empty shells as well as the delicious butterscotch and pink coloured rocks and pebbles are eagerly collected for sculpture decorations. After the rain the previous day, there was bright sunshine all day which brought many people to the beach who were keen to spend time creating beautiful marine inspired sculptures.

Digging the sand to create a starfish

Young participants learnt how to draw designs into the sand and use collected pebbles and other treasures to decorate and bring it to life!

Events like this are very worthwhile as children learn lots of environmental facts.

Participants enjoyed exploring the shoreline looking for resources - this family enjoyed making a Minke Whale.

A beautiful starfish mosaic is created from the delicious butterscotch and pink coloured pebbles, inspired by the orange-red Common Starfish that are abundant around the peninsula and come ashore in their groups. Its possible to find lots of them clinging to rocks and feeding on the mussel colonies at Port Eynon Bay. Participants learnt lots of new skills through the festival with the knowledge how to create sculptures from the artists.

We made a starfish mosaic and were very happy with it. Events like this are very worthwhile as they encourage outdoor creativity and learning.

Learning about textures, colours and shapes when constructing a sculpture - this youngster is totally absorbed in the activity. Learning to use the found materials to create artworks from really gave everyone a sense of confidence in their work.

Learning about shapes and textures

Collecting shells for the sculptures

The artists chatted with the participants about many different sea creatures and their danger of decline because of warming waters. Children shared their stories of what they'd already seen on the beaches and they learned a lot of facts about sea creatures in general. They also learned the names of shells to discussed how far that shell may have travelled and what it may have seen on its journey.

A Leatherback Turtle is delighted to be sculpted from the sand

It was pure learning through play and we had a good time.

There was a steady flow of people arriving at the beach all day to take part in the sculpture making and admire the beautiful creations along the beach. An environmental awareness about the beach and its marine life was achieved during the day through conversations with the artists. .

Families worked together to create their sculptures

A Lobster is carved from sand and decorated

Our creativity was enhanced through the festival by sharing of ideas for using natural resources and experimenting with them.

Everyone was really enthused and engaged, there was a real sense of community spirit on the beach with people passing in awe of artworks and very proud children.

Using a variety of materials to make interesting and thought provoking sculptures, growing in confidence to experiment with different processes and deciding what worked and what didn't.

A large scale starfish is a work of art

Whilst creating participants shared their ideas of their vision of the sculpture adding stories to the object.

'You're the Banksy of the Beach!'

FESTIVAL MESSAGES FROM PARTICIPANTS
WYBODAETHAU GAN GAN Y CYFRANOGWYR

We made a starfish mosaic and were very happy with it. Events like this are very worthwhile as they encourage outdoor creativity and learning. Eva Savage and 4 cousins

Our sculptures were Gerald the fish and a starfish! Our creativity was enhanced through the festival by sharing of ideas for using natural resources and experiementing with them. We noticed massive differences in colour stones. A very worthwhile event with a lovely focus on the natural environment helping us to notice features that we hadn't realised before. Matt, Nick, Emma, Lucy, Bea and Arthur Odwell

We loved the seahorse that we made - we learnt how to draw one and use materials to decorate it. We dound out lots of things about different sea-weeds. We were 100% engaged in the activity which was great fun. Daryl and mum, Morgan and Ray Mcoulough

We made a starfish which we were very happy with. Events like this are very worthwhile as the children learn lots of environmental facts and it gets them outdoors away from technology and in the fresh air! Olivia, Geogia, Moddi, Noah, Alfie and mum

Our Leather Back Turtle was very fun to make. We learnt sculpture making skills as well as about turtles and their plight. It was pure learning through play and we had a good time. Roxanne, Gigi, Zuzu and Andrea Martig

Thank you to everyone for making our annual sculpture festival such a success once again.

THANK YOU TO OUR KIND SPONSORS BELOW:
Diolch i bawb am wneud ein gwyl cerflunwaith flynyddol mor llwyddiant unwaith eto. DIOLCH I'N EIN HYRWYDDION SY'N GWYBODAETH BOD

So many people saying how they were so happy they could engage in something safe, inspiring, outdoors and creative after the pandemic.

A wonderful day making sculptures brought everyone together. The beach was full of beautiful sculptures like a wonderful open-air gallery. People walking along the shore marvelled at the creations. It was very successul day. The artists packed away the flags and displays ready for the next day of the Beach Sculpture festival tour to Bracelet Bay in Mumbles.

To see day 4 of 2020 Festival at Bracelet Bay- click the link at the bottom of this page
I weld gwyl dydd 4 o 2020 yn Bracelet Bay- cliciwch ar y ddolen ar waelod y dudalen hon