Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2021 - Part 2 - FAY AGATHANGELOU PHOTOGRAPHY

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2021 - Part 2

15/3/2021

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2021. Sculpture: Laminae, by Chris Booth.

As a self-confessed Sculpture by the Sea enthusiast, I returned to Cottesloe beach on Friday morning, a cloudier and much cooler day compared to my last visit. The purpose was to explore sculptures that I didn’t get to see previously. Starting on the hill, I spent a lot of time on the grassed area, snapping away while dodging groups of school children. The ambience was enhanced by the music playing from a gigantic wind chime. It was heavenly. Looking down towards the ocean, the view was stunning.

Sculpture: Signature, by Tim Macfarlane Reid.

Sculpture: Coalescence, by Sam Hopkins.

Sculpture: As One, by R.M. (Ron) Gomboc.

Sculpture: Horatius, by Morgan Jones.

Sculpture: Kids Playing Train Pretend, by Koichi Ogino.

Sculpture: Home Made, by Denise Pepper.

Sculptures on the hill.

Although determined not to get distracted by the seagulls, the seagulls were determined to distract me. As I walked towards the sculpture of an upside-down white horse, a seagull landed on top of one of the horse’s legs. It stood very still as if it were part of the statue. The seagull could have easily been mistaken for part of the sculpture. Thankfully it decided not to poop on the statue, but even if it did, the colours would have blended nicely. Another seagull became jealous of the photographic opportunity and tried to steal the spotlight. The seagull modelling industry is obviously very competitive.

Seagull on top of statue - full view.

Seagull on top of statue - closer view.

Another seagull trying to steal the spotlight.

Sculpture: Heads It Is, by Paul Capor

Strolling down the hill, I encountered many amazing art works, as well as more groups of school children. Before I knew it, I was back in the sand next to the unmissable yellow sculpture. Beside it was a set of rocks which were intriguing. Being so popular, however, I found it very challenging to take a photo without people in it.

Sculpture: Infinite Attractors, by Charlie Trivers.

Sculpture: Labyrinth’ (in search for the meaning), by Andrea Vinkovic and Claymake Studio Makers.

The serene mood of the beach added to the experience. Wandering along the sand, I decided to walk in the water. The excitement was so much that that I wet my pants. Actually, the waves of the ocean did it. I was extremely careful to keep my camera above water. Some might say that it was foolish to take it so close, but I’m just a thrill-seeker. Combining my beach walk with the sculptures, I was captivated by a group of seagulls surfing the waves. I snapped away and got quite a few action shots. At that point my camera battery became flat. Nevertheless, I was still happy with what I had captured.

Seagull surfing.

Seagulls riding the waves.

Seagull in flight.

Bouncing back up the hill in excitement, I was on a high in more ways than one. It was an AWESOME day.

I was on such a high that I went back the next day, in the late afternoon. Once again, the atmosphere was completely different. Firstly, there were many more people, being a weekend. Additionally, despite being late afternoon, the weather was hot and the sky was blue. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t have been able to take the same photos as the day before. Instead I took a very different perspective.

One thing that can be guaranteed is that no two experiences at Sculptures by the Sea are alike. I went three times so far this year, and each experience was considerably different. It remains by far one of my favourite events in Perth and a must-see every year.