Weston-super-Mare prepares to welcome SEE MONSTER

Up until now, sightings of SEE MONSTER have been scarce…

It has been revealed that the beast will arrive this summer at its new habitat on Weston-super-Mare’s seafront. Visitors will encounter the sheer magnitude of its transformation: from the cavernous underbelly and shimmering silver scales to the tangled treetops above.

Towering 35 metres in the air, SEE MONSTER will form the highest viewing point along the South West coast of England.

Following the granting of planning permission, we can confirm that preparations for the arrival of this unique large-scale public artwork will begin on Tuesday, 8 March, 2022.

SEE MONSTER is one of ten major creative projects commissioned by UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a celebration of creativity taking place across the nation in 2022, designed to reach millions and bring people together.

The Garden Lab

From towering trees to grass-laden clearings, SEE MONSTER’s Garden Lab is a space where visitors can take respite, sheltering from the crash of the waterfall and the clamour of the crowds below. The green utopia will be curated by leading Landscape Designer Peter Beardsley.

“I have more than twenty years’ experience of garden design, but SEE MONSTER is a particularly special adventure in plantsmanship and sorcery. We’re curating a diverse selection of trees that will fight the winds and storms, from semi-mature trees and shrubs, to a thousand perennials & grasses.

Silhouette is really important and we want to express a shape that bristles in the way a natural island would be colonised; often top heavy and windswept.”

Within the wild garden you will find hidden routes to explore the rehabilitated Monster, and embedded throughout will be new approaches to a more sustainable and greener future. 

To read the full interview with Peter Beardsley, click here. 

Making a Monster

Want to meet the team responsible for making the Monster? This month, street journalists and videographers DOSE of Society have been spotlighting the creative minds working behind the scenes to bring the Monster to life. In our latest video, Creative Associate Ollie Howitt explains how SEE MONSTER is being designed with accessibility in mind, from handrails, ramped floors, tactiles and a lift, to ensuring the Monster’s grated floors are suitable for guide dogs.

Watch the video on Instagram here.