Sand art is the practice of modelling sand into artistic forms and believe it or not, competitions are held in various parts of the world to promote and showcase the art. Sand sculptures are large, complex constructions. Just to give some numbers the largest sandcastle made till now was 18 ft. tall, required one ton of sand and 10 litres of water.
Sand sculpting as an art form has become very popular in recent years especially in coastal beach areas. Techniques can be quite sophisticated, and record-breaking achievements have been noted in the Guinness World Records. The second edition of International Sand Art festival will be held at Konark’s Chandrabhaga beach, coinciding with the Konark Dance Festival
National and international sand maestros are expected to participate in the competition. The creator of best sand art will get purse money of Rs 100,000. As many as 20 Indian and 10 foreign artists are expected to participate in the competition.
In India, sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik help popularize the art form. A self-taught artist, Patnaik has started Sudarsan Sand Art Institute in Puri to propagate the art, impart training and develop the art.