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Today (Friday), the 450-tonne platform was being prepared to be lifted by crane over the seawall onto preconstructed legs within the Tropicana.
The huge crane was assembled this morning and, by 4pm, weights were being added to the structure to help counter-balance it and safety checks were being carried out.
It is still hoped the lift will happen this evening.
The platform arrived on Weston’s beach early on Wednesday morning after travelling from the Netherlands on a flatbed barge the size of a football pitch.
Work will now start on transforming it into the world-first SEE MONSTER, one of the UK’s largest art installations.
The entire construction will be 35 metres tall – 15 metres taller than the Angel of the North and just 11 metres shy of Nelson’s Column.
Repurposing the platform into an art installation is a challenging and ambitious feat of design and engineering.
It aims to inspire global conversations about retired industrial structures and design-led solutions for a more sustainable future.
Once completed, SEE MONSTER will be experienced from the seafront, beach and on-board.
It will feature four publicly accessible levels, featuring:
- a 10-metre high waterfall
- a 6,000-piece kinetic installation, forming the monster’s shimmering scales
- an on-board oasis of grasses, plants and trees selected to thrive in a seaside microclimate, and
- a seated amphitheatre and broadcast studio, forming a platform for conversations about reuse and sustainable futures.
It is planned for SEE MONSTER to have a phased opening over the August bank holiday.
This ambitious project is one of 10 events taking place across the UK until October as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK.
SEE MONSTER is being brought to life by Leeds-based creative studio NEWSUBSTANCE in collaboration with Dose of Society, REDHOUSE Productions, Rocket Women, Empowering Women with Tech, sculptor Ivan Black, and representatives from The British Antarctic Survey, with support from us.
Follow its transformation on social media, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.