The landscape of Portobello Beach will be transformed by the presence of the ambitious and temporary art work WONDER which takes the form of three large pyramids created from thousands of filled Hessian sand bags, a sandbag for each Portobello household. The pyramids represent the past, the present and the future of Portobello.

Portobello itself has inspired this ambitious temporary public art work.

The pyramids will be built from sandbags, filled with the sand from Portobello Beach, emulating Portobello’s birth from a "naturally" available material; clay. Once filled, the sandbags will become building blocks to construct the pyramids; these will be laid in a brick work pattern, once again making reference to the origins of Portobello.

Portobello beach has a strong association with architecture, from the humble Bathing Machines of the early 19th Century and the sandbag fortification used during military exercise, to the ambitious architecture of the Pier (1870), the imaginative fun fair Marine Gardens and the Bathing Pool with its high diving boards. None of which remain today.  The pyramids pay tribute to Portobello’s past architectural achievements as well as celebrating the recent and successful community campaign PCATS.  By uniting thousands of sandbags (one for each household) in the form of pyramids the whole community is represented while transforming the landscape from the horizontal to the vertical, conceptually raising Portobello’s aspirations for the future. The sloping sides of the pyramids provide support in a reclined position for star and sky gazing.

Pyramids have always fascinated, attracting visitor from far and wide.

Credited with the ability to channel energy and heal the pyramids are a metaphor for the renewed energy of Portobello’s community spirit and the revitalization of the beach and promenade.

Portobello

Past

Portobello now part of Edinburgh, was once a desolate place known as the Figgate Muir.  In 1765 William Jamieson discovered a valuable source of Clay near to the Figgate Burn and erected a brick works. From this a community was born at Portobello which developed throughout the 19th century to manufacture lead, glass and soap and continued to develop into the 20th century. With these developments came a thriving community and ambitious architecture; Kilns, Bathing Machines, The Pier (1870), Bathing Pool with high diving boards and the Marine Gardens "a fun seekers paradise for all". Only one Kiln remains.

Present

Today Portobello is known for its sandy beach and sea bathing. Although the area became run down after the Second World War there is a renewed sense of community spirit and pride within Portobello. A recent display of this was the successful Portobello Campaign Against The Superstore (PCATS) which prevented a new Superstore being opened on the former Scottish Power site.

Now undergoing a programme of regeneration Portobello is being revitalised and its potential, once again, realized.

Future

Having come from being a desolate place in the past Portobello must look beyond the sand and the horizon and raise their sights to the sky, pushing the edge to the infinite.

Pyramids 

The Pyramid, while an iconic image of ancient Egypt has throughout history been a universal symbol of harnessed energy. Some believe it to be a "solar" symbol as its shape signifies the rays form the sun falling to the earth.

If we take the Great Pyramids at Giza and divide the base length of each pyramid by their respective vertical heights we get the ratio 1.618, commonly known as the Golden Section.

The ancient Greeks and Egyptians noticed that this number had interesting properties, not least being that it appears in nature; the spiral of a nautilus shell and the spiral of a tightly packed sunflower seed head. The ancients constructed buildings using this ratio.

Leonardo Da Vinci displayed an ardent interest in the mathematics of art and nature and like Pythagoras, made a close study of the human figure showing how all its different parts are related by the golden section.

Classical painters used the ratio in determining the proportions and compositional arrangements of their work. The French impressionist painter Georges Seurat is said to have "attacked every canvas by the golden section", this is well illustrated in his famous painting Bathers at Asnieres 1883-84.

Pyramids have also been credited with the ability to channel energy and heal.

Sand bags 

A sand bag is a bag filled with sand which is most commonly associated with and used for the prevention of floods to control the flow of water or temporarily repair a damaged levee or dike. They are also used in non-emergencies, or after a situation has ceased being an emergency, to start a process or rebuilding and restoration.

In military conflict sandbags are used to create field fortification, or as temporary protection for civilian structures. Sandbags used in this way generally have dimensions carefully calculated so that the finished bags can be interlocked like brickwork.

The filling and placing of sand bags in times of emergency and restoration is a community focused activity creating a feeling of unity and goodwill.

Hessian a material used to make sandbags is a renewable crop grown from the ground making it 100% natural and bio-degrades easily Hessian sandbags a highly environmentally friendly.

Community involvement and interaction 

The filling of sandbags and construction of the pyramids will be a simultaneous activity. This will be conducted on site and is anticipated to take 4 weeks.

The finished bags will be placed interlocking creating a brickwork pattern. Construction of the pyramids will be carried out by the artist, two assistants and community volunteers. It should be noted that a pyramid is a self supporting structure of extreme strength and stability.  Plumb lines will be used during construction to ensure forms are perfect pyramids.

If possible a sandbag filling machine will be employed to reduce the physical demand of filling the thousands of sandbags needed; otherwise they will all be filled manually.

Cooperation for moving sand around the beach has already been agreed in principle by John Brown who drives the tractor on the beach for Edinburgh Council. Moving of sand from the storm wall and sea groins is a routine activity.

At all times during construction health and safety will be a priority.

Beach location

The pyramids will be located toward the middle of the beach between John Street and Pittville Street. This location has been selected for the following reasons:

• It is does not favour either the Joppa or Portobello end of the beach.
• It creates a focal point midway down the beachfront encouraging people to walk along the beach or promenade.
• There is easy beach access by ramp for less able bodied people.
• It is near the widest section of the promenade allowing groups of visitors to congregate without obstructing the promenade.
• It is near the community garden with the three historical brick columns.

Timeframe

• 21st May - Start installation
• 21st June - Finish installation / Opening Event 6.00- 8.00 pm
• 21st December - Removal (Winter Solstice – shortest daylight)

http://www.hjrstudio.com/