Blooming Hearts: Sculpture by the Sea '15

Sculpture by the Sea is one of the highlights of Sydney’s spring calendar. If you haven’t been before, just imagine a contemporary art gallery, where the lighting is replaced by the warm sun, aircon is replaced by the fresh sea breeze, elevator music is replaced by the sound of breaking waves, and the floor is actually the shoreline running between two gorgeous beaches. Plus, there’s no walls or ceiling, just greenery, clear blue sky and breathtaking ocean views.

After that description, I’m sure it’s not hard to tell that I’m a massive fan. Sculpture by the Sea runs from Bondi to Tamarama, and showcases sculptures from around the world. The free event rolls a lot of my favourite things into one: sun, beach, walking, photography and art –well, sort of. More like, admiring the pretty sculptures and dissecting the ones that clearly have another meaning that we can only hope to guess.

I’ve featured my personal favourite sculptures here (spoiler alert!). Before I let the photos speak for themselves, here are some tips for your own Sculpture to the Sea outing:

Wear comfy, walking shoes (I saw a girl in heels and could not deal).
Bring water and even a snack, because the walk is quite long and when there are crowds of people, it takes even longer.
Aim to go on a weekday or avoid the middle of the day on a weekend. Otherwise, just be prepared get caught in quite a bit of foot traffic.
Bring your camera but be considerate of other people and your fellow photographers. Avoid standing in the middle of the footpath for five minutes to get the perfect shot if it’s a really busy time and for goodness sakes, don’t pose with the sculptures for more than two shots. That’s just poor etiquette.
Don’t touch the sculptures if it says “do not touch”! That one sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised.
Go at sunset or early morning for the best photos (less people and a more colourful sky).

Every year, the creativity of the Sculpture by the Sea artists astound me. I love the striking simplicity of some sculptures and the brow-furrowing complexity of others. Even the range of materials, from newspaper to security cameras, is incredible. But my favourite part is just turning around a corner and being surprised, and seeing the same look of wonder on the faces of happy strangers around me.

I hope you have the same great experience that I did!