Our Story

Voyaging from the far reaches of the North Sea, SEE MONSTER will endure blustery winds and roaring waves as it encircles the UK coast in search of a new home. After a lifetime weathering the stormy seas, the retired rig will be reborn at shore in the former 1930s lido, the Tropicana. Audiences from far and wide will flock to the beach to welcome SEE MONSTER, the wild beast that has never been seen before…

By the Summer of 2022, having been transformed along its journey, the weather-beaten Monster will come alive in Weston-super-Mare, as a colossal manifestation of all it has witnessed along its journey around the turbulent coast. The reawakened entity will be a joyous celebration of the great British weather and British eccentricity, presenting a new vision for what the Monster could become. As a pioneer towards a greener future, SEE MONSTER will explore the concept of inherited structures, be those physical, social, or environmental. What do we do with the structures we inherit? And what actions can they inspire?

With the opportunity to travel up and inside, guests will pass behind the thrashing cascade of a 12-metre waterfall, and under the shimmering scales into the cavernous underbelly of the beast… Within the wild garden you will find hidden routes to explore the rehabilitated Monster, where embedded throughout will be new approaches to a more sustainable and greener future. You may encounter sudden showers of rainfall from above or find yourself engulfed within a playful collection of clouds. Whatever the weather, SEE MONSTER will encourage interaction and playfulness at the heart of Britain’s cultural cornerstone: creating the sense of children gleefully jumping in puddles, whilst adults grumble at drizzly grey skies and strangers bond over something mutually shared.

As a creation of new from old, the regeneration of the rig, transformed from its former life, will champion the role of re-use and creativity within our future.

SEE MONSTER is part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK. A once-in-a-lifetime celebration of creativity, taking place across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and online from March to October 2022.