A sand artist from the Philippines, Nathaniel Alapide, who uses the 72 kilometers long coastline of Dubai as his canvas, has left people in awe of his jaw-dropping temporary art pieces.
The artist came into the spotlight when he created a giant tree in memory of his grandmother on Jumeirah Beach, Dubai in 2014. He has rendered a total of 1,900 designs, including calligraphy and portraits ever since that wash away with the wind and waves within hours.
In January 2022, he created clay portraits of all the major leaders of the UAE, which was also the largest sand portrait ever made, covering 23,000 square meters. About 150 truckloads of soil was poured to build it. Currently, the artist advertises pictures for international brands and has secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Nathaniel uses a rake as a tool for creating his master pieces. He views the rake as his brush and the sand as his canvas. He goes to the beach or the desert every morning, where he picks his rake up and turns the sand into a masterpiece. According to him, it has become a part of his morning routine.
A sketch he makes is roughly 20 meters long and can take from one to several hours. However, messages in English or Arabic can be up to 100 meters long.
