STORY

At 35 metres tall, SEE MONSTER features four publicly accessible levels animated by a 10-metre-high waterfall; a multi-level slide offering an alternative route through the monster, a 6,000-piece kinetic installation forming the monster’s shimmering scales; kinetic wind sculptures; a wild garden of grasses, plants and trees selected to thrive in a seaside micro-climate; artist-designed experiments in sustainable energy generation; a seated amphitheatre, unrivalled views out to sea from the Helideck and, at its base, a broadcast studio hosting radio, music, podcasts and workshops, reaching national and international audiences.

The transformation of an industrial structure into an accessible public installation suitable for visitors is an unprecedented engineering achievement that has been led by Leeds-based creative studio NEWSUBSTANCE. In July, the 450-tonne platform was transported by sea on a barge as large as a football pitch to the beach at Weston-super-Mare, famous for having the second highest tidal range in the world. It was then lifted by crane over the seawall onto preconstructed legs within the Tropicana.¬ Since this time, the Viewing Deck positioned within the walls of the Tropicana, allowed visitors to witness the monster’s transformation.

SEE MONSTER’s Garden Lab, features 9-metre-high trees, plants and grasses, selected to be resilient to salty breezes and Atlantic gales; SEE MONSTER’s roar, the waterfall, continually recirculates through the pools at its base; and the impact of the weather will be seen and heard as the wind moves through the installations and garden, intended to prompt discussion about the science behind the great British weather and how it can support a sustainable future.

The Solar Tree atop the Garden Lab takes the concept of the blossoming buds of spring to create a renewable energy source that presents a physical nod to the roughness of a tree’s bark. With continued cross-sector collaboration, the ambition is for these designs to be catalysed by SEE MONSTER and deployed on a global scale in the coming years.

WindNest, designed by artist Trevor Lee, brings together art and renewable energy and comprises two rotating airborne pods, generating clean energy through wind and solar technology that will power the irrigation system for the Garden Lab. WindNest is made in collaboration with Land Art Generator Initiative, an art and design-led renewable energy team that looks for innovative solutions to help achieve a net-zero carbon future.

Kinetic sculptor, Ivan Black, has created two sculptures representing the sun and moon that are set in motion by the wind. Sections of the sculptures rotate on their symmetrical axes and are designed to be in constant chaotic but graceful motion. Made from aluminium, they are designed to withstand the elements particularly the corrosive salt in the sea air and to instil a sense of wonder as to how they work. Ivan describes them as much as works of engineering as art and said: “I hope they will inspire others to think creatively about engineering.”