Giant Weston art installation prepares to open
The 35-metre tall North Sea oil platform has been transformed into SEE MONSTER
Last updated 23rd Sep 2022
One of the largest art installations the UK has ever seen opens to the public in Weston-super-Mare this weekend.
SEE MONSTER is a decommissioned North Sea oil platform, which now sits on the seafront at the Tropicana, featuring planted gardens and a waterfall.
It also creates its own renewable energy through wind and solar technology that will be used to irrigate the gardens.
The hope is that as well as just being an impressive visual feat, it will also inspire conversations about renewable energy.
The entire construction is 35 metres tall – 15 metres taller than the Angel of the North and just 11 metres shy of Nelson’s Column and can be experienced from the SEE MONSTER viewing platform at the Tropicana, seafront, beach and on board for free.
Its creation has been led by Leeds-based creative studio NEWSUBSTANCE and was commissioned as part of an event series called UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK.
Patrick O’Mahony, Creative Director and Founder of NEWSUBSTANCE said, “SEE MONSTER is an incredibly unique project, made possible through cross-sector collaboration and the ambitious nature of the UNBOXED commission.
"We are incredibly excited to be the first people in the world to reuse a structure in this way, with its potential to provide a blueprint for future global reuse projects.
“From the roar of the waterfall to the shimmering scales, we invite our audience to ascend the monster, running through clouds and exploring wild gardens until they reach the summit where they can see our monster's home from a new perspective.
"We are thrilled that the public can now board SEE MONSTER, after witnessing its transformation over the past few months.
"We hope this once-in-a-lifetime experience, that started as an experiment in education and creativity in Weston-super-Mare, will go on to have a much greater and long-lasting legacy.”
In July, the 450-tonne platform was transported by sea on a barge as large as a football pitch to the beach at Weston-super-Mare.
It was then lifted by crane over the seawall onto preconstructed legs within the Tropicana.
SEE MONSTER's garden features nine metre high trees, plants and grasses and the noise of the waterfall will continually circulate through the pool at its base.
It's hoped the impact of the weather will be seen and heard as the wind moves through the installations and garden, sparking conversations about how the weather can be used to support a sustainable future.
Dr Ella Gilbert, scientist, British Antarctic Survey and climate science advisor to SEE MONSTER said: “SEE MONSTER reminds us how our industrial history has shaped our climate, and how we can transform our future by repurposing infrastructure like oil and gas platforms.
"We know about the negative impact of our dependence on fossil fuels.
"Less often do we hear about the ways in which we can transform society for the better.
“SEE MONSTER is an opportunity to see and hear about the kind of solutions and possible futures we can create together and to be awed and amazed by the spectacular sights and sounds of the weather; to be excited by the science behind it; and to learn how it helps us understand our planet.”
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is a celebration of creativity taking place across the UK until 5 November.
Presented in over 100 locations around the UK, it features ten major multi-site and digital creative projects that share new ideas and possibilities for the future and are produced by creatives from across science, technology, engineering and the arts.
North Somerset Council have supported the project throughout and have been integral to bringing SEE MONSTER to Weston-super-Mare.
Mark Canniford, Executive Member for Placemaking and Growth at North Somerset Council, said: “The Monster continues to offer a huge boost for our local economy at this time of year, and the final stage of people boarding the platform will bring additional visitors to North Somerset during the autumn months, beyond the peak tourist season.
“The calibre and originality of the recent drone shows, which attracted tens thousands of people, have given us all a flavour of what to expect.
"If the Monster’s arrival was the appetiser and the drone show was the starter, we are all in for a real treat with the main course – the boarding – which is not to be missed.”
You can find out more about SEE MONSTER here.