See Monster (stylised in all capitals) was a temporary outdoor

art installation Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...

in Weston-super-Mare, England. It was part of the nationwide arts festival Unboxed: Creativity in the UK and consisted of a converted decommissioned offshore platform featuring a garden and artworks that promoted

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

. Along with the wider Unboxed festival, the installation attracted some controversy. However, more than a million people engaged with it through visitation, involvement with related activities and through digital, broadcast and print.

Development

See Monster was originally a North Sea offshore platform and was one of ten works commissioned as part of Unboxed: Creativity in the UK, a nationwide arts festival based around science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The installation was located at the Tropicana, an events space and former lido that had previously hosted the Banksy art installation Dismaland in 2015. It was a work of the

Leeds Leeds () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the thi ...

creative studio NewSubstance and was supported by

North Somerset Council North Somerset Council is the local authority of North Somerset, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including Cou ...

. It was expected to cost £10.5 million. The intention of See Monster was to inspire people to discuss the

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

reuse of industrial structures. Martin Green, chief creative officer of Unboxed, said that the installation would "take something that took from the earth and ask it to give back." The installation was purported to be the first example in the world of an offshore platform being repurposed after decommissioning, rather than scrapped. The 450-tonne platform was stripped, repaired and cleaned in a shipyard in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

over 12 months. It arrived in Weston-super-Mare by barge on 13 July 2022 and was moved onto the beach by a

Mammoet Mammoet (, Dutch for Mammoth) is a privately held Dutch company specializing in engineered heavy lifting and transport of oversized and heavy objects. History Mammoet’s history started on 13 May 1807 in the Netherlands, when Dutch entr ...

self-propelled modular transporter Self-propelled may refer to * Human-powered transport, humans moving themselves (and their cargo) via their own muscle energy * Machines that power their own movement: ** Automobile (from ''auto-'' + ''mobile'', "self-moving") ** Locomotive (fr ...

. A 1,500-tonne crane lifted it onto a set of pre-constructed legs within the Tropicana on 16 July. The opening had originally been planned for July to coincide with the

summer holidays Summer holiday may refer to: * Summer vacation, a holiday in the summertime between school years Film * ''Summer Holiday'' (1948 film), an American musical starring Mickey Rooney * ''Summer Holiday'' (1963 film), a British musical starring Cliff ...

, but was ultimately delayed until 23 September. The delay was attributed to the unprecedented nature of the project, and to the weather, with construction work being unable to take place during high winds, rain or lightning. A viewing platform opened on 15 August, allowing visitors to watch the construction. The installation was intended to be open until 5 November, but this was later extended to 20 November.

Overview

Installation

See Monster was tall and had four distinct levels. A waterfall representing the monster's roar cascaded into the pool in which the platform stood. Above this were the Cellar Deck, Garden Lab and Helideck. More than 6,000 pieces made up a shimmering

kinetic Kinetic (Ancient Greek: κίνησις “kinesis”, movement or to move) may refer to: * Kinetic theory, describing a gas as particles in random motion * Kinetic energy, the energy of an object that it possesses due to its motion Art and ente ...

artwork representing the monster's scales and a

crane Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname) ...

represented the monster's head and neck. Other features included a garden of trees and plants grown to survive in a coastal

microclimate A microclimate (or micro-climate) is a local set of atmospheric conditions that differ from those in the surrounding areas, often with a slight difference but sometimes with a substantial one. The term may refer to areas as small as a few squa ...

, a cloud-making machine, an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

, telescopes to show the view and a curly slide. The installation's

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been dev ...

system was powered using renewable energy generated by the WindNest, an artwork by Trevor Lee comprising two rotating pods generating

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller impact on the environment than burning fossil fuels. Historicall ...

, and the Solar Tree, comprising a

solar panel A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module, PV panel or solar panel is an assembly of photovoltaic solar cells mounted in a (usually rectangular) frame, and a neatly organised collection of PV panels is called a pho ...

mounted atop a metal tree generating

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic ef ...

. There were also two kinetic sculptures by Ivan Black representing the Sun and Moon, as well as a studio from which radio programmes and podcasts were broadcast.

Programmes

In addition to the physical installation, there was a learning programme offering educational visits and

resources Resource refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and wants. Resources can broadly be classified upon their ...

to schoolchildren, young people,

Scouts Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpack ...

, youth groups and students and a

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...

programme involving local residents.

Drone light shows

Prior to See Monster's opening, a series of three

drone light show Drone art (also known as drone display or drone light show) is the use of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), often quadcopters, flying in a coordinated fashion with light fixtures attached. They are usually equipped with multiple LEDs, ...

s called The Awakening took place on Weston-super-Mare seafront on 28 August, 30 August and 1 September 2022. They were performed by SkyMagic and involved 400 drones.

Reception

Reaction and controversy

Patrick O'Mahony, See Monster's creative director, expected that the installation would "split opinion" but remarked that he would "rather people love it or hate it rather than being indifferent" and that "there's nothing worse than doing something people have no reaction to." Charlotte Lytton, writing for

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

, compared See Monster favourably to Dismaland and remarked, "even if its eco-message does not entirely cut through, this is the better end of public art: a supersized spectacle in equal parts immersive and unusual." Julian Knight, chair of the

Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, formerly the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, is one of the select committees of the British House of Commons, established in 1997. It oversees the operations of the Department f ...

, said that the installation looked "fantastic" but criticised the fact that the delay caused it to miss the summer holidays, questioned the relevance of it and the other Unboxed installations to the public and described the festival as an "irresponsible use of public money." The installation's delay was also criticised locally, although some suggested that the later opening had helped to prolong Weston-super-Mare's tourist season. Knight called for an investigation into the festival and the National Audit Office (NAO) subsequently announced that it would conduct one.

Audience engagement

Unboxed announced overall audience engagement of 1,087,646 for See Monster, including 512,261 through visitation, 87,211 through the learning programme and 5,852 through participation, as well as 394,822 through digital content, 67,500 through broadcast content and 20,000 through printed content. North Somerset Council reported that 6,000 engaged with the think tank programme and an estimated 70,000 attended the drone light shows. The installation was reported to have attracted visitors from across the country and from abroad, with some queuing for two to three hours to enter. See Monster's success provided an economic boost to Weston-super-Mare, with numerous local businesses reporting increased custom during its opening. Unboxed cited the installation's popularity as the reason for extending its opening. Some local residents called for it to remain permanently.

Decommissioning

Work to dismantle See Monster began on 21 November 2022 and was completed in early 2023. The structure will be recycled, with some features being donated to local projects and the trees and plants being replanted around Weston-super-Mare and used to create a community garden on the seafront.

References

External links

* *{{cite AV media , url=https://licensing.screenocean.com/record/604693 , title=Art installation See Monster arrives in Weston-super-Mare , agency=Press Association , website=screenocean , id=604693 , date=13 July 2022 - video of arrival onto beach, and interview with creative director Weston-super-Mare Arts in Somerset Public art in England Oil platforms