Well that was incredible! BBC Race Against The Tide. Hosted by Iain Stirling, Race Against the Tide is a brand new 6 part series which sees seven teams, each made up of a professional sand sculptor and a complete newcomer to the craft, race to create breathtaking sculptures before the incoming tide washes them away!
Set on the beautiful Scottish Beach of West Sands, St Andrews, the competition was judged by Sadie Clayton, a celebrated sculptor and Head of Industry Engagement at LCCA, known internationally for her structural copper designs and experiential art shown at Tate Britain and the Royal Academy of Arts and our very own Jamie Wardley. Jamie’s sand sculpting career spans nearly 20 years, to the development of Sand In Your Eye as you see it today covering not only sand sculpture, but sand drawing, land art, ice sculpture and huge temporary installations across the UK and beyond.
We were first approached by Tern TV to scope out if this type of show could work in Scotland. Beach sand is variable and generally not great for making large sand sculptures you see on the show, so Jamie toured the beaches of Scotland to find some possible locations of where it could work and after some tests and reccie’s St Andrews was chosen and what an incredible location. As the planning and preparations continued, the possible contestants participated in a workshop day in our studio in West Yorkshire having a go at sand sculpture techniques. Then the dates were set and off to Scotland Jamie and Peter went. Peter, one of our lead sculptors came as the sand technician, working behind the scenes to make sure the days went smoothly and all the teams and the crew had what they needed in terms of anything sand related. Jamie and Peter had a great time discussing all things sand related, as they had both been involved in the technical planning to find the right beach, many discussions about different sand grains were had!
The amateur contestants and their professional partners were as follows:
- David and Zara: Cake designer David from Plymouth and professional Zara.
- Athena and Rachel: Stationery and calligraphy business owner Athena from Bath and professional Rachel.
- Mary and Paul : Plasterer Mary from Surrey and professional Paul.
- Alex and Rémy: Carpenter and social media creator Alex Burman (Valley Viking) from South Wales and professional Rémy.
- Shane and Lisa: Retired art teacher/chainsaw artist Shane and professional sculptor Lisa.
- Yusuf and Johannes: Crafters Yusuf and Johannes.
- Helen and Martin: Local contestant Helen (former martial arts champion from Scotland) and professional Martin.
The episodes each had a different theme to give the contestants as different set of challenges each week to tackle.
- Episode 1: Seven teams build seaside-themed sculptures.
- Episode 2: Six teams tackle home-themed creations.
- Episode 3: Teams sculpt ocean-themed art.
- Episode 4: Five teams build majestic, monster-themed designs.
- Episode 5: Four remaining teams battle for a spot in the final with Sky’s the limit.
- Episode 6: The grand final to build the ultimate sandcastle and win the trophy.
Athena and Rachel were crowned the winners and well deserved too. Their work was consistently strong every episode. We really felt for Yusuf and Johannes, whose creativity and courage led them to create some incredible things, unfortunately their brave compactions let them down in the final.
Jamie and the others at Sand In Your Eye are absolutely delighted to have been a part of the show. Jamie’s passion for sand sculpture hopefully came across on screen. I think you can see Sadie and Jamie really settle into their roles as the show progresses and he loved working with her as judges. A massive thank you to Tern TV and BBC for the wonderful experience.
