Fascinating Sand Art, Part 1 of 2

Sand is found all over the Earth. Sand has fascinated people of all ages and nationalities since ancient times. In Indian culture, many Hindu households use brightly colored sand to make floor decorations called Rangoli at the entrances to their homes during festivals. In Tibetan Buddhism, the creation and dismantling of mandalas from sand is an important tradition that symbolizes the transitory nature of material existence. The Navajo aboriginal tribe of North America believes that sandpainting originated from saintly people living underground. This art is deemed sacred and is believed to help with healing.

Sand animation is a relatively new art form that was invented by the renowned animator, filmmaker, director, and producer, Ms. Caroline Leaf. Almost a decade later, the Dutch-Canadian film director and animator, Mr. Co Hoedeman, brought this technique to a larger audience with “The Sand Castle,” which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Since then, many sand animators have been practicing and perfecting this art, adding their own original ideas, and holding live performances.

To learn more about the incredible art of sand animation, in August our Supreme Master Television team members interviewed sand art artist Mr. Chai Seung-woong from Korea. Since his debut presentation in 2012, Mr. Chai has performed at special events in Korea and abroad, produced videos, and won several art awards.

Mr. Chai shared with us his perspective on sand art. “I have a strong conviction that sand art was the first form of art in human history. If you take kids, 3 to 4 years old, toddlers who can barely walk, to a beach, they will naturally start drawing in the sand. Then wouldn’t men have done the same in pre-historical times as well? It is new and novel, yet people have all done it before. That’s what sand art is. This contradiction makes it even more fascinating. It’s the oldest form of art, yet also most new and unique.” “I have tried using salt and wheat flour, but it doesn’t work well. Sand is the best material to draw with. About a decade ago, sand art became very trendy. It could have just passed by like other trends, but sand art is still growing.”