3D Illusion Sand Art on a New Zealand Beach by Jamie Harkins, David Rendu and Constanza Nightingale

Seaside Scene with Fishing Pier and Boats by Jamie Harkins and 3DSD

©Constanza Nightingale

With little more than a stick and a rake, Jamie Harkins and a small team of artists who collectively formed 3DSD have been producing these remarkable temporary artworks on a beach in New Zealand. 3DSD stands for 3 Dimensional Sand Drawing and their giant pieces incorporate perspective, illusion, and a form of distorted projection known as anamorphosis. While these drawings might not make sense to passing beach strollers close up, and will appear skewed when viewed from a distance, if they are viewed from a particular point they suddenly take on perfect perspective.

©Constanza Nightingale

Looping Stairs 3D Illusion Sand Art by 3DSD and Jamie Harkins

©Constanza Nightingale

Jamie Harkins is best known for his surrealist landscape artworks, so why not make the landscape itself surreal for a day? The sand of Makatana beach near Mt Maunganui offers an enormous, free canvas for 3DSD to work on by simply disturbing the sand with a rake to create shading. As the tide comes in, the artworks are of course washed away but Harkins enjoys the impermanence of the medium — and the pieces can of course be remembered through photographs.

Unfortunately Jamie Harkins has since parted from the trio and 3DSD is now made up of just Costanza Nightingale and David Rendu. They’re preparing step up their game and launch a website for 3DSD but the best place to view their artworks for now is on the 3DSD Facebook Page.