Tales in Sand

One of the most incredible things we have seen this summer has been The Eretz Israel Museum’s latest exhibition 'Tales in Sand'. The exhibition, or rather "the unique outdoor experience" as their promotional material justly describes it, is made up of dozens of huge sand installations depicting beloved fairy tales from around the world, including Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Gulliver, Little Red Riding Hood and Pinocchio.

As it began to get dark one evening last week we arrived at the museum, ready to enjoy the 18 giant sculptures made of sand, crafted by artists from the World Sand Sculpting Academy in Holland.

Over the course of two weeks prior to the exhibition opening, the sculptors and two Israeli colleagues constructed some truly incredible designs using 700 tons of sand, in 35-degree heat! Viewing the results of their hard work, lit by specially designed lights as darkness fell, I can only describe them as breathtaking. The young children who had come to visit delighted in looking at their fairy tale heroes but it was the adults who could really appreciate how incredible the sculptures really were.

Working under the Israeli sun was probably not easy, but the results of all the efforts clearly paid off. The artists managed to build a fantastic city, occupied by some amazing inhabitants. Furthermore, because of the local climate, specifically the lack of rain, the sandy figures are guaranteed quite a long life. 'Tales in Sand' remains open through the end of August at the Eretz Israel Museum, 2 Haim Levanon Street, Tel Aviv. I strongly recommend a visit.