February 4, 2013: First day on the Qantas project, creating a jet plane full of people made of sand.

Sand In Your Eyes (www.sandinyoureyes.com) is the longest running Australian sand sculpting company. It was formed by Master sculptor Dennis Massoud more than 20 years ago. The team is currently sculpting a Qantas airplane. complete with tail fin and passengers in seats, in front of Sydney, Australia’s Common House at the foot of Young Street. February 5, 2013, was the second day on the job for Massoud’s team, which has sculpted sand all over Australia and in locations as diverse as the Gobi Desert in China and Luliang Province. In fact, the work assignments have taken Massound around the world 9 times in the past 7 years. He has been offered an assignment, which, if he accepts it, will tie him up for 3 years creating the biggest world’s largest sand sculpture from 38,000 tons of sand, with a base 100 meters across and 38 meters tall. Massoud was the 2003 winner of a sand sculpting competition in Denmark in 2003.

One of Massoud’s team prepares the sand on Day One in Sydney, Australia, in front of the Commons House.

Crowds are absolutely stunned by the detail and creativity of Massoud’s team of sand sculptors. The most commonly questions asked are “How can you do that?” and “Is it just sand ?” The answer is, “Yes,
it is just sand but a lifetime of skill and experience is necessary to learn to mold it into lifelike forms.”

A few seconds before this was taken, Dennis Massoud cautioned me about touching the sand on the sides of the “chair.”

Me as Qantas passenger.

Massoud, himself, began sculpting sand as a small boy of 7 on Australia’s beaches. When surveys are taken at major events where the creativity of Sand In Your Eyes is on display, sand sculptures have proven to be the most popular form of entertainment. In shopping centers it’s quite common for crowds to swell by 50 to 70%.

“Don’t touch the chair arms!” (say with spirit).

Massoud’s team has worked in locations as remote as the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, and remote islands such as the Mariana group, as well as in places as sacred as Gothic cathedrals or as chic as the only eight-star hotel in the world, the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

Overview.

Sand in Your Eyes (www.sandinyoureyes.com) is the only Australian sand sculpting company that’s affiliated with the prestigious WSSA ,World Sand Sculpting Association. The founder of WSSA, Gerry Kirk, is the grand master of sand. He holds four Guinness book world records involving sand sculpture that have never been broken.

Plane in progress.

The team of approximately 20 sculptors have been at work in front of the Commons House in Sydney for 2 days and there is a contest associated with the sculpting that involves a free trip. In allowing me to sit in the plane seat under construction, I signed a release and was cautioned not to touch the sides of the seat. When I appeared to be brushing the seat with my arms, Massoud rushed over to caution me.

I’ll be back tomorrow, on Day Three, to see how the Qantas display shapes up.