Oil rig transformed into 'See Monster' art installation to be unveiled

2022-08-19

Rusty relic of powerhouse Britain: North Sea oil rig once used to help fuel the nation before being dragged to Somerset coast for ‘Festival of Brexit’ is due to open as a tourist attraction within days… after weeks of delays

Art exhibition made from decommissioned North Sea oil rig set to be unveiled on the August Bank Holiday
The ‘See Monster’, a 450-tonne structure, has been turned into a tourist attraction in Weston-Super-Mare
The exhibit was transported to the Somerset coast on a flatbed barge as large as a football pitch on 13 July

A rusty North Sea oil rig turned art exhibit is set to be unveiled at an event dubbed the ‘Festival of Brexit’ within days after weeks of delays.

Dubbed the ‘See Monster’, this decommissioned platform has been restored into a tourist attraction in Weston-Super-Mare, as part of the year-long ‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’ event.

The giant 450-tonne structure was originally envisaged to be open as a tourist attraction at the beginning of the summer holidays.

But while its opening has been plagued with delays, event organisers have given a partial opening date for the ‘See Monster’ public art installation as one week from now.

It is one of ten creative projects commissioned as part of ‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’, which was originally branded the ‘Festival of Brexit’ by Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The ‘See Monster’ is one of the projects in ‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’ which was originally dubbed the ‘Festival of Brexit’ by Jacob Rees-Mogg

Unboxed is presenting a number of free ‘once-in-a-lifetime celebration of UK creativity’, spanning the UK until October, including another artwork called ‘Dreamachine’ which aims to unlock the kaleidoscopic power of the human mind.

Another, ‘StoryTrails’, uses virtual reality technology to bring to life the ‘hidden histories’ of 15 UK towns and cities, and runs from July until September.

Organisers say the transformation of the ‘See Monster’ is a ‘world-first that aims to inspire global conversations about the repurposing of large industrial structures and design-led solutions to sustainable futures’.

The towering platform was transported to the Somerset coast on a flatbed barge as large as a football pitch to its new home at the Tropicana – the former 1930s lido where Banksy’s Dismaland was based – on 13 July.

It was then lifted by crane over the seawall onto preconstructed legs.

The project was the brainchild of Leeds-based design and events company Newsubstance, who said the world-first project was an ambitious feat of design.

Organisers said ‘See Monster’ will feature four publicly accessible levels animated by a 12m waterfall, a 6,000-piece kinetic installation forming the monster’s shimmering scales, an onboard green oasis and a seated amphitheatre and broadcast studio.

The See Monster (pictured left) was still being assembled on Friday, 19 August ahead of its grand unveiling on the August Bank Holiday

The ‘See Monster’ is one of the projects in ‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’ which was originally dubbed the ‘Festival of Brexit’ by Jacob Rees-Mogg

Organisers say the transformation of the platform is a ‘world-first that aims to inspire global conversations about the repurposing of large industrial structures and design-led solutions to sustainable futures’

The entire construction is be 35-metres tall. By comparison this is 15-metres taller than the Angel of the North and just 11-metres shy of Nelson’s Column.

Patrick O’Mahony, creative director and founder of Newsubstance, said the idea behind the project was to find a platform ‘to tell stories with’.

He added: ‘What better platform than a decommissioned oil rig?’

‘The whole point was to create a structure that was big, joyful, and create a real impact – and that’s what See Monster gave us the opportunity to do.

‘It will have experiments in renewable futures – so new thinking in wind turbines and solar, a giant waterfall that comes down the front, and a huge amount of kinetic sculptures across the entire structure.’

The rig spent 30 years in the North Sea and the last 12 months in a Dutch shipyard being stripped, cleaned and repaired ahead of its delivery to Weston-super-Mare.

Mr O’Mahony said: ‘We didn’t want to build from new, we wanted to really explore reused [materials].

‘There are these big industrial structures all around the world, the rigs are just one of them, and we wanted to really create that blueprint to see what’s possible – we are taking these beasts that have had one life form and transforming them into something new.

‘We wanted to bring it in almost as the beast and transform it into a beauty, and when it comes in and gets raised and put on the legs, over the next six to eight weeks we are going to plant a huge wild garden over the whole top.

‘The point is that it is like it has been ‘rehabilitated’ – it has spent its life taking out of the earth and now it is time to give back.’

The See Monster is being opened at the Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, the former 1930s lido where Banksy’s Dismaland was based

Images taken on 13 July show the towering platform being transported to the Somerset coast on a flatbed barge as large as a football pitch

Despite the huge amount of effort that has gone into delivering the project, it will only be fully open to the public for two months between from the August Bank Holiday weekend and the end of October.

After it closes, many of the artworks are due to be installed around the town, while the rig itself will be deconstructed and recycled.

Martin Green, the event’s chief creative officer, said: ‘See Monster is an inspirational and awe-inspiring project that embodies the ambition of Unboxed, to celebrate creative collaboration across science, engineering and the arts.

‘The transformation of a decommissioned platform into one of the UK’s most ambitious public art installations is an unprecedented undertaking and will offer a blueprint for the reuse of industrial structures that everyone involved should be proud of.’

Cllr Mark Canniford, executive member for placemaking and economy at North Somerset Council, added: ‘We are excited that See Monster is on its way.

‘There will be an impressive calendar of events and activities planned across the town to celebrate its time here and we look forward to welcoming visitors from across the country to share in this unique event.’

‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’: What are the ten art exhibits at the £120m former ‘Festival of Brexit’?

‘Unboxed: Creativity in the UK’, originally dubbed the ‘Festival of Brexit’, has cost British taxpayers £120m and runs from March to October this year.

Across 2022 it will feature 10 ‘awe-inspiring new ideas’ across, science technology, maths and the arts.

‘About us’ (March – May): ‘Open-air spectacular’ show of ‘sound and light’ to ‘celebrate extraordinary connections’
‘Dandelion’ (Spring – Autumn): 1x1m ‘Cubes of Perpetual Light’ used as ‘miniature vertical farms’ in Scotland
‘Dreamachine’ (Spring – Autumn): ‘Explore your own mind’ by sitting in the exhibit like a giant kaleidoscope – Spring to Autumn
‘Galwad’ (September – October): Brings together Welsh talent to tell a story through digital, broadcast and live events
‘Green Space Dark Skies’ (April – September): Participants become ‘Lemenators’ carrying a low impact light onto the UK’s most beautiful green spaces
‘Our Place in Space’ (April – October) 10km sculpture trail of an ‘epic’ scale model of the solar system touring across the UK
‘PoliNations’ (August to September): A ‘Magical city-centre forest-garden’ in Birmingham Reflects on UK’s ‘complex histories surrounding migration and diversity’
‘See Monster’ (Summer): A disused North Sea offshore platform regenerated in Weston-super-Mare ‘StoryTrails’ – July to September
‘StoryTrails’ (July – September): A ‘magical AR and VR immersion in the hidden histories’ of 15 UK towns and cities
‘Tour de Moon’ (May – June): Described as a ‘cosmic journey into the possibilities of tomorrow: live shows, nightlife, digital experiences and more created in collaboration with the Moon’

Source: Unboxed

Source: Read Full Article