Sand Drawing in Cornwall
We were over the moon to be asked by Eden Project to create a sand drawing in Cornwall. They wanted to launch their summer exhibition Enchanted Earth.
The sand drawing in Cornwall was a 100 metre anamorphic design featuring an octopus and the iconic Eden Domes. As long time visitors to Eden Project, a lot of our work has been inspired by visits there. The Eden Project opened in 2001 and has been growing and attracting millions of visitors ever since. With new Eden’s planned in other locations including Morecambe and Dundee and others worldwide, its message will gain even bigger reach.
See below information from Eden on the Enchanted Earth.
“This summer, discover the hidden magic of the planet at the Eden Project – uncovering the secrets of Enchanted Earth. From the microscopic to the cosmic, this ephemeral journey will reveal a world of unseen wonder that exists all around us.
Step into a breathtaking immersive experience, plus hands-on family activities, live puppet shows and imaginative play, along with a tour of the world in our iconic Biomes and Gardens. It’s the ultimate summer day out in Cornwall – all included with your Eden Ticket.”
When – 24th July – 7th September 2025
Times – Jul- Aug 9.30am -6pm, Sept 10am-5pm
The sand drawing in Cornwall was one of many we have created over the years. Cornwall is blessed with many beautiful beaches and strong tides, perfect for sand drawing. Jamie headed down the day before to check out the location and do the final planning. The rest of the team joined him later in the day. The weather was looking a little rainy, but fortunately, the rain didn’t come. The location of the sand drawing in Cornwall was Watergate Bay. A beach we know well and have created lots of drawing there over the years. It’s a dynamic beach and change a lot from day to day, but we like a challenge!
Sand drawings are made simply by raking the wet sand and are truly of the moment, as they are washed away by the sea just a they are completed, living only for a brief time. They amount to nature’s biggest etch-a-sketch.
The design was anamorphic, which means it is a stretched drawing that when viewed in one viewing point appears to stand up from the beach. The beauty of this means the drawing can be interactive and the beautiful backdrop of Watergate Bay and its cliffs can be captured in the photograph. We have created anamorphic images for many years, they were especially popular when drones were not as available as they are now to capture footage of our drawings.
This drawing reached up to 100 metres which was pretty huge, so lots of drawing and raking involved. It was a fun design to create. It was pretty complex to create, but with great results. The drawing was created over a few hours between the times of the tide. Then the team at Oatey Media captured all the images and film. Check out the film below, narrated by 6 year old Florence.
After the drawing was finished, the team had a well deserved celebratory dinner before the big drive home the next day.
Sand drawings are something we are particularly passionate about and enjoy developing. They are a very sustainable way to create a big impact message. We love the endless creative options, being out in nature and showing off the stunning coastlines we have in the UK. Over the 15 years we have been creating beach drawings, we have become experts in our field and seen many parts of the UK’s coast, with lots a beautiful memories attached to them.
Let’s see what the rest of the summer brings. Thank you so much to the team at Eden Project!
Photo and video credits Oatey Media.
