July 6th and 7th July 2024 saw the return of the Wales Airshow in the skies above Swansea bay. Tens of thousands of visitors come to enjoy Two days of flying featuring The Red Arrows, the RAF Typhoon and many other breathtaking aerobatic displays, state-of-the-art military aircraft and vintage planes from the past, and this year our sculpture Jamie Wardly completing a two day live carve sand sculpture replica of Spitfire aircraft.
Working with Hannah from Swansea City Councils Culture team, we were blown away to be asked if one of our professional sand sculptors could come to the Airshow for the full weekend and be part of this massive event.
The Sculpture Starts to Take Flight
Jamie drove down the day before the event, so he was able to arrive bright and early ready to set up for the two days ahead. To go along with the Ariel acrobatics Swansea Prom had also been transformed with ground displays, VR experiences, food and gift stalls, as well as live music and other family activities.
Once Jamie arrived at Swansea Prom he was shown to the marquee he would be sculpting in and got cracking unloading his kit, which of course included a sculpting table and many buckets of sand! Once set up and his tools laid out, Jamie began the task of compacting the sand, making sure it was solid enough to be sculpted with fine details once he had blocked out the main shapes.
As the day passed (and after a brief pause to watch some of the magnificent Red Devils Parachute ariel show that was going on overhead) The recognisable form of a Spitfire aircraft began to emerge from the sand. As he continued working many onlookers watched in awe as Jamie carved the sand sculpture of the iconic fighter jet.
Details on Day Two
Day two of the event gave time for adding more detail and depth to the already impressive sand sculpture, using precise carving techniques to add deeper grooves and crevice’s creating deep shadows and highlights which help to elevate the aircraft sand sculpturer (no pun intended) further.
The Spitfire was created not only as an impressive sand sculpture but also to honor the bravery and sacrifice of those who defended our skies during WWII, and commemorating special tribute to Squadron Leader Mark Long, who tragically lost his life on 25th May when Spitfire Mk IX MK356 crashed shortly after take-off from RAF Coningsby.
Once completed the Royal Airforce cadets had a photo captured alongside the impressive sand sculpture.
Cabinet member Robert Francis-Davies said: “Swansea does more than ever to salute those who serve in the forces; our airshow activity helped visitors acknowledge the contribution of our veterans, reservists, cadet forces and volunteers. As one of the highlights of the annual Swansea events calendar, the airshow was a huge success, continuing to support the city’s reputation as a top-class venue for major events.
