Sand formation art workshop with thejamjar resident Talin Hazber

One of the resident artists at thejamjar, Talin Hazber, led a workshop on sand formation art in the studio space on Saturday. Sand art involves a good deal of science, so it particularly piqued my interest. Besides, who didn't have fun playing with sand, growing up?

The workshop started with a short slideshow presentation by Hazber, describing various applications of sand art, as well as the history of sand microscopy and taxonomy.

Our first hands-on task was assembling and sealing a control sieve. It's like an hourglass, but cuboid, and with multiple holes.

Using styrofoam plugs, we implemented our intended topographies by permitting or blocking the escape of sand through each hole in the sieve, and further individualized our pieces using sands of different colors. When done, spraying water and adhesive set the surfaces of our pieces into firm crusts, after which the plugs were removed or dissolved to let out the loose sand beneath.

Although I ended up with my amateur hands coated in dried glue, and the crumbled remains of one failed attempt, I managed to get one decent piece set and removed from its mold. I shall title it "Guanzhong".