Artists were seen creating some truly stunning designs for the 20th International Sand Sculpture Festival at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St Petersburg on Thursday.
Around 20 took part in this year's event - 'Sun of the Russian Land' - with the focus on historical figures and literary characters. They are shown working on their sculptures, drawing inspiration from the works of Alexander Pushkin and the heroic tales of Prince Alexander Nevsky.
"We brought 800 tonnes of sand - wherever we are, we bring the beach," said festival head Alyona Petrova.
Ruslan Krovkovkov from Bulgaria said he had reimagined the character Tatiana Larina from Pushkin's novel 'Eugene Onegin' in a modern context, portraying her with a mobile phone and confessing her love via text message.
Sudarstan Patnaik, the festival's guest of honour, crafted an Indian chariot, and said he wanted to introduce Russian visitors to the customs and traditions of his homeland.
"India and Russia have very good cultural relations. So I bring our culture to here so that here people can see… the different culture and also I have used… coloured sand," he explained.
The sculptures will be judged by a panel of cultural experts from St Petersburg and across Russia, with a special prize by public vote. The sand sculpture festival is an annual event at the Peter and Paul Fortress, with organisers using it as a platform for national and global cultural achievements.
Sands of time! Artists showcase creations for 20th international sculpture festival in St Petersburg
Artists were seen creating some truly stunning designs for the 20th International Sand Sculpture Festival at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St Petersburg on Thursday.
Around 20 took part in this year's event - 'Sun of the Russian Land' - with the focus on historical figures and literary characters. They are shown working on their sculptures, drawing inspiration from the works of Alexander Pushkin and the heroic tales of Prince Alexander Nevsky.
"We brought 800 tonnes of sand - wherever we are, we bring the beach," said festival head Alyona Petrova.
Ruslan Krovkovkov from Bulgaria said he had reimagined the character Tatiana Larina from Pushkin's novel 'Eugene Onegin' in a modern context, portraying her with a mobile phone and confessing her love via text message.
Sudarstan Patnaik, the festival's guest of honour, crafted an Indian chariot, and said he wanted to introduce Russian visitors to the customs and traditions of his homeland.
"India and Russia have very good cultural relations. So I bring our culture to here so that here people can see… the different culture and also I have used… coloured sand," he explained.
The sculptures will be judged by a panel of cultural experts from St Petersburg and across Russia, with a special prize by public vote. The sand sculpture festival is an annual event at the Peter and Paul Fortress, with organisers using it as a platform for national and global cultural achievements.
Artists were seen creating some truly stunning designs for the 20th International Sand Sculpture Festival at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St Petersburg on Thursday.
Around 20 took part in this year's event - 'Sun of the Russian Land' - with the focus on historical figures and literary characters. They are shown working on their sculptures, drawing inspiration from the works of Alexander Pushkin and the heroic tales of Prince Alexander Nevsky.
"We brought 800 tonnes of sand - wherever we are, we bring the beach," said festival head Alyona Petrova.
Ruslan Krovkovkov from Bulgaria said he had reimagined the character Tatiana Larina from Pushkin's novel 'Eugene Onegin' in a modern context, portraying her with a mobile phone and confessing her love via text message.
Sudarstan Patnaik, the festival's guest of honour, crafted an Indian chariot, and said he wanted to introduce Russian visitors to the customs and traditions of his homeland.
"India and Russia have very good cultural relations. So I bring our culture to here so that here people can see… the different culture and also I have used… coloured sand," he explained.
The sculptures will be judged by a panel of cultural experts from St Petersburg and across Russia, with a special prize by public vote. The sand sculpture festival is an annual event at the Peter and Paul Fortress, with organisers using it as a platform for national and global cultural achievements.