Castles Made of Sand [2015]
Conveyors, pneumatics, stainless steel mold, tide clock, automation, sensor, 500 x 160 x 200 cm
BMO Project Space, Toronto
Castles Made of Sand is a site-specific installation conceived to be temporarily installed in a small office space located near the top of a skyscraper in downtown Toronto. The installation functions as a production line that casts sand castles, dispatches them for a journey along a conveyor belt, and eventually sends them forward to crumble. The sand is then collected and recycled to create a new castle. This cyclical construction and destruction of the castle is set to the relative position of the moon in the sky as it influences the tides.As this astronomical phenomena triggers this cycle, passersby can witness the rise and fall of castles – ephemeral architectures that drift past the windows and topple down in front of the city skyline. Operating at a very slow pace, Castles Made of Sand actively decelerates the mechanical process; producing a contemplative experience in which frail fortresses expose a vulnerable temporal existence while at the same time enabling a perpetual new beginning.
Dawn Cain (curator, BMO Corporate Art Collection); Elisa Coish (curatorial associate, BMO Corporate Art Collection); Jérôme Roy (mechanic); Matthew Palmer (assistant), Fred Monast (assistant), Pascal Dufaux (assistant); Antonio Bacichetti( programming, electronic), Samuel Saint-Aubin (programming, electronic); H.M.B. Controls Ltd. (electricity); Luc Doyon (consultant), Pierre Fournier (consultant), Cristian Costea (ASCO Numatics), Jonathan Killing (Toque Innovations), Sebastien Dallaire (Generique design); Jean-Pierre Aubé (video); Brian Gravestock (installation assistant), Dustin Baldwin (installation assistant); Toni Hafkenscheid (photo).