The See Monster, a decommissioned offshore North Sea oil rig transformed into an art installation, will now welcome the public on board.
From Saturday, members of the public will have the opportunity to visit See Monster, which is located at the Tropicana, a multi-use indoor and outdoor event space on the Weston-super-Mare seafront.
The piece is one of the largest public art installations in the country and aims to start conversations about reuse, renewables and the British weather.
The project was commissioned as part of Unboxed: Creativity in the UK, a festival running until November that shares ideas and possibilities for the future as envisioned by creatives from the worlds of science, technology, engineering and the arts, in physical and digital spaces.
The See Monster is 35 metres tall and features four publicly accessible levels. It's animated by a 10-metre-high waterfall and a multi-level slide offers an alternative way through the 6,000-piece kinetic installation.
Behind the shimmering scales of the structure is a garden containing grasses, plants and trees that thrive in a seaside microclimate. The garden also features kinetic wind sculptures, artist-designed experiments in sustainable energy generation, a seated amphitheatre and, at its base, a broadcast suite.
Creative studio Newsubstance led the transformation of the industrial structure into a public installation, along with designers, artists and scientists who added engaging interactive elements for the public.
“See Monster is an incredibly unique project, made possible through cross-sector collaboration and the ambitious nature of the Unboxed commission,” says Patrick O’Mahony, creative director and founder of Newsubstance.
“We are incredibly excited to be the first people in the world to reuse a structure in this way, with its potential to provide a blueprint for future global reuse projects.”
The Garden Lab features nine-metre-high trees, plants and grasses, and is cooled through the See Monster’s waterfall, which continually recirculates through the pools at its base. Powering its irrigation system is a combination of art and renewable energy. WindNest, designed by artist Trevor Lee, comprises two rotating airborne pods that generate clean energy through wind and solar technology.
Two kinetic sculptures by artist Ivan Black are set in mesmerising motion by the wind. Made from aluminium and designed to withstand the elements, the sculptures, representing the sun and moon, are designed to be in constant graceful yet chaotic movement.
“We are thrilled that the public can now board See Monster, after witnessing its transformation over the past few months,” says O’Mahony.
“We hope this once-in-a-lifetime experience that started as an experiment in education and creativity in Weston-super-Mare will go on to have a much greater and long-lasting legacy.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Well Of Wisdom
7.05pm Summrghand
7.40pm Laser Show
8.15pm Angel Alexander
8.50pm Benbatl
9.25pm Art Du Val
10pm: Beyond Reason
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if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
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Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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