Sand Soldiers @ SWELL Sculpture

I have been on the most amazing 6-month journey to create this installation of 5 ceramic Soldier Crabs for the SWELL Sculpture Festival at Currumbin. It has been such a joy to spend the last few days watching the audience engage with my Sand Soldiers, and a real privilege to be able to listen to the many stories that the passing audience has offered up as they recall their cherished memories of these little crabs. It seems so many of us have enjoyed coming into contact with Soldier Crabs, and my sculpture seems to enable these memories to come bubbling to the surface. Individual chaos and group cohesion are modelled by these little crabs as they go about their days in armies in the tidal zone.

Jo Adler Sand Soldiers, Ceramic Sculpture, 2025

Thanks so much to the many who have helped be to bring this sculptural installation to life.
Anika Asplund and Carlos Barrios for the use of their slab roller and kiln.
Bill Powell for wise words, advice and glaze firing in his Nerang studio.
Angus Reardon for enthusiasm and his desire to assist rolling slabs into legs.
Alison Danziger, whose cheerful smile and passion for completion, and for making 10 claws in one day possible.

I hope you have a chance to get along to SWELL 2025 on the foreshore in Currumbin this week to enjoy the amazing display of 82 sculptures that are lining this beautiful part of the world we are so lucky to call home!

If you have a story, memory of recollection that you would like to share, please click the link to share.