OIL RIG TRANSFORMED INTO SEEMONSTER
24 Nov 2022
UK based design studio, NEWSUBSTANCE, has transformed an oil rig into a 35-metre-tall public art installation in West-super-Mare, UK, as part of the UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK Festival.
The SEE MONSTER installation includes a 10-metre-high waterfall, wild garden and 6,000 kinetic piece installation. The SEE MONSTER includes works from Ivan Black and art pieces from Trevor Lee that make up sections of the artwork.
The installation was created to inspire conversations about reusing and renewables, as well as a focus on British weather. The 450-tonne installation was transported by sea on a barge the size of a football field and lifted by crane to its designated spot on the foreshore. The artwork was accessible to the public on four separate levels. 
One area accessible to the public was the garden featuring plants, grasses and nine-metre-high trees. All plant life was chosen for its resilience to salty air and Atlantic Sea winds. The installation WindNest, designed by Trevor Lee in collaboration with Land Art Generator Initiative combines art with renewable energy that generates clean energy through wind and solar technology which within the installation is used to power The Garden Lab. 
The 6,000-piece kinetic installation created by sculptor Ivan Black formed the SEE MONSTER scales and created it in two pieces to represent the sun and the moon. This part of the installation was made from aluminium as to ensure it could withstand the natural elements.
SEE MONSTER is an incredible artwork and demonstrates the power of clean energy and how art can be created from reused and recycled materials. 
Images via ArchDaily
