Successful start to The Hague beach season with return of impressive sand sculptures

After 15 years, the Hague coast once again shines with an art form as ephemeral as it is impressive: sand sculptures. Since last weekend, nine masterpieces can be admired on Scheveningen's boulevard. Each sculpture tells a story about the seaside resort - from The Rolling Stones to the Rescue Brigade, swimwear to surf culture.

The launch of this free open-air exhibition on Sunday 6 April heralded the Hague beach season in spectacular fashion, with a sun-drenched opening weekend. From 1991 to 2011, sand art was a draw for the city by the sea every summer. After a preview of Winter Wonder Zand last winter, Cool Event, Buitengewoon Scheveningen foundation and many partners joined forces to Sand Sculptures by the sea possible, and is on show now until 1 June.

Each sculpture pays tribute to Scheveningen then and now. On Kurhausplein, for instance, there is a work referring to the musical side of Scheveningen, including The Rolling Stones' legendary concert at the Kurhaus in 1964. Further along the boulevard, you walk past a sculpture depicting 175 years of swimwear and a sculpture depicting the story of the Hague surf pioneers in the 1970s.

Animal mess
Unimaginable now, but until 50 years ago, circus companies came to Scheveningen with the strangest animals including ostriches, elephants and donkeys. The sculpture at La Galleria Boulevard, reveals this past. Iconic structures can also be found in the sand sculptures, including Scheveningen's well-known Pier (looking towards the future), The Hague's three lighthouses and even artist Mitoraj's mask, which has been at museum Beelden aan Zee in the dunes.

While visitors enjoy the sea on summer days, they have long been closely watched by the life-saving volunteers of the Hague Rescue Brigade and KNRM. Their efforts along the 11 kilometres of coastline of The Hague has also been given a special place in Sand Sculptures by the Sea.

Award ceremony
These stories and more can now be discovered in the nine sand sculptures in Scheveningen. Visitors can also vote for their favourite sculpture. You can participate via the website of the Buitengewoon Scheveningen foundation. The winner will be announced on 1 June and prizes, including a family weekend in Scheveningen, will be raffled off among the entries.

Lifelong passion
Creative director of Sand Sculptures by the Sea is Martin de Zoete, born and raised in The Hague. What once started as a side job while studying architecture at TU Delft grew into a lifelong passion. ‘In 1999, I saw a poster on the faculty: ‘Sand builders wanted’. Now, 26 years later, I am still standing with my knees in the sand.’

Building a sand sculpture starts with a theme, in this case ‘a seaside exploration’. ‘Then we calculate how much sand we need - almost 500 tonnes for this project, about 16 trucks full,’ says Martin.

Dice
The sand comes from an (old) riverbed in Gelderland and is stored afterwards for later reuse. ‘Beach sand is like marbles, it falls apart like that. River sand is more angular, like dice, and you can stack it. Together with water, it then stays well in place.’

After building up wooden moulds, the sand is poured in layers and compacted with machines. Once the base is in place, the artists can get to work. ‘We work from top to bottom, first coarsely with a shovel, then progressively finer, down to putty knives, forks and even credit cards. Each sculpture is full of details. You always discover something new.’

International artists
The artists come from the Netherlands, America, Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania and form a close-knit group. ‘We know each other well. There are 300 to 350 people worldwide who do this professionally. For us, it feels like a holiday: we make, eat, sleep - and for a week on the beautiful beach in The Hague. But the greatest satisfaction remains that the public enjoys it.’

The sand sculptures can withstand wind and rain. Even a heavy downpour need not be a disaster. The designs take into account that no water pockets can form. Martin: ‘And if it is really necessary, we touch up the sculpture. That's the great thing about sculpting with sand, you can always correct it.’

Martin notes that the response from the public is already very enthusiastic. ‘As far as I am concerned, this is part of the city and hopefully this will be a new beginning of an annual event.’ So put on your flip-flops, bring your camera, and stroll down the promenade - a wonderful world of sand awaits.