Wales Online: An enormous dragon has just appeared on the banks of a Welsh castle.
The dragon, which is four metres long, has reptile-like black and red scales, smoke-flaring nostrils, and an outreached claw.
It was unveiled overnight by the same people who created Cardiff Castle's amazing Ball in the Wall .
5 comments:
So this is probably one of the coolest installations I have ever seen. I’m not a huge dragon fan, but the craftsmanship and effort and time put into this project is definitely something to be appreciated. I have to admit that after reading this article I’m still unsure as to whether this dragon is a part of an even or just there to stay, but I do hope they decide to keep it in place after this weekend long event. I am very impressed at the fiberglass construction because, to my knowledge, fiberglass isn’t just something anyone is capable of working with and painting it is a whole other story. Also just the massive scale of the piece is something to marvel at, as well as the weight of the installation. I would love to see one of these projects come local and be some crazy attraction like the giant inflatable duck.
This dragon vividly reminds me of a similar art piece at Downtown Disney in Orlando, Florida. Across from the LEGO store, in the lake, there is a massive dragon that is both above and below the water of the lagoon in the center of the park. Being a wee young lad the first time I saw it, I remember wondering how they made something so huge and menacing appear to be just another parkgoer, exploring the lake and protecting the denizens of Disney World. That dragon, however, didn't look half as terrifying and lifelike as this one. Granted, dragons aren't particularly real or anything, but the mere fact that there is smoke emanating from the nostrils would be enough to spook oncoming children. I think the key to an installation like this is striking the balance between the fantastical and the realistic, and this dragon leans a bit too close to the realistic to be a hit with everyone that sees it. From a craft standpoint, however, it is a masterpiece, and does capture the sense of adventure that Wales is trying to put forth with their Historical Adventures festival.
It's so awesome to see Welsh creations and culture taking the spotlight, because a lot people don't even know that Wales exists. I was born and raised in Wales, so seeing this dragon be created especially for Caerphilly Castle has a lot of meaning for me. Monday was St. David's Day, which is essentially the Welsh version of St. Patrick's Day. It's all about celebrating traditional Welsh culture, and the dragon is a very important symbol to the day. I remember when I was a kid we would paint pictures of the Welsh flag, which features the dragon, and participate in various talent competitions to celebrate the day. The photo of the little girl next to the dragon is bringing a ton of memories for me, as she is wearing the traditional clothing that all of the girls would wear on St. David's Day. I know that if I was her age and I saw a dragon that could blow smoke by a castle I would have been so excited, so I'm really grateful to these artists for making this happen. Their previous project of the rugby ball in the wall was actually in my hometown of Cardiff, and I used to go to Castell Caerdydd on the weekends. The craftsmanship and commitment to community it must have taken to make this is so impressive to me, and I hope that they continue this project throughout the country.
This dragon is stunningly beautiful, and the fact that it is so perfectly placed across the banks of a castle make it all the more magical. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t genuinely love installation art which perfectly fits into the space of it’s environment. I feel like this links a lot to experimental theater in unconventional “theater spaces”; just as theater has been performed for centuries in a huge space through the frame of the proscenium arch, art has, for a long time, been seen as a stuffy, quiet, silent object held at a distance in a stark museum setting. I think that this image of stuck- up people walking around and silently judging artwork behind glass in a still, barren room turns a lot of people away from their stereotyped idea of what “art” is, when, in truth, art can be anywhere and everywhere. This dragon appears to me to be a kind of elevated version of street-graffiti art in how it blends with and transforms its environment. Not to mention that the photos and video show how much intricate care and detail went into crafting this fascinating creature. I will never stop being amazed at how hard the arts community works to carve out a place for beauty in everyday life.
Jacob’s comment about the dragon at Disney reminded me of anther dragon installation that’s similar to this one, but this one is in New York City and made out of legos. In the lego store in Rockefeller Center there’s a dragon installation piece that’s going in and out of the ceiling and weaves through the whole store. Setting aside differences like what they’re made out of and level of detail, these three installations seem to be incredibly similar. So much so that I’m curious how (probably) three separate designers in three different parts of the world decide to make nearly the same thing. Is it just a side effect of the fascination with dragons that some people have? If its that then why are they all coming out of something or partially hidden, why not make a full dragon? Putting that question aside, I would love to work on a project like this, the amount of detail they put into it is incredible and it looks like a fun project to be involved with.
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