Take a trip to Sandcastle St

IT IS going to take 15 tonnes of sand, three gallons of water and five days of hard work, but some of the Capital's best known landmarks are to be recreated – in a giant sand sculpture.

Sculptor Kate Robinson, who has created works of art from sand, ice, bronze and stone in locations around the world, has been commissioned to create the striking new temporary piece.

Edinburgh Castle, the city's vaults and the Scott Monument, as well as Gaudi's Temple of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona and works by Picasso, are among the images that will feature on the sculpture, to be created next week on Castle Street.

The work has been commissioned by Spanish airline Spanair to celebrate the launch of new a new route between Edinburgh and Barcelona.

Ms Robinson, who will begin work on the five-day project on Monday, said: "It will be a bit of a challenge, particularly because there's quite a short timescale to do the preparation and to make the sculpture, so it will be quite nerve-wracking.

"One of the things I enjoy is working outside, although it depends a bit on the weather."

The Glasgow-based sculptor has previously worked on projects around the globe, with one of the most striking being a massive sculpture of Spider-Man in Zeebrugge, Belgium in 2004.

Work will start on the 3.5 metres x 3.5m sculpture on Monday when the 15 tonnes of sand is compacted using hand compactors and water. Work on the sculptures themselves is likely to get under way on Tuesday.

"I hope people will recognise the images and I hope they get pleasure from seeing the sculpture," said Ms Robinson.

"One of the things that is lovely is you know it is there for only a short period of time and I hope people enjoy seeing it."

As the work takes shape during the week, organisers hope that Castle Street will become a live and interactive art gallery.

But the sculpture, when complete, is set to only remain in place for a short period of time as it will be demolished on Saturday.

Around 100 flight tickets to Barcelona will be hidden within the sculpture. The first 100 people to register at www.youshould beinbarcelonarightnow.com and show up for the unveiling on 22 May at 10am will be invited to dig through the sculpture to find a ticket.

Nuria Tarr, Spanair's sales director, said: "Edinburgh and Barcelona are two of the most architecturally stunning and culturally rich cities in Europe and we wanted to celebrate that by producing a temporary piece of art for people to enjoy.

"Both cities also have a wonderful sense of fun and we felt that the artwork should also be engaging to reflect that."

The first flights on the new route will leave Edinburgh for Barcelona on 21 May and will then operate five times a week. By the end of the year it is expected that 30,000 passengers will have flown between the two cities.

Kenneth Wardrop, head of the Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance, said: "These new direct flight routes will provide fantastic benefits to the business community, leisure travellers and the economy in both destinations."