Local resident soldier crabs, emerge from their holes at low tide and scuttle across the sand in large groups. When threatened they quickly bury themselves back into the sand.
Tracey Smith on the development and process of the Soldier Crab Project:
Inspiration
" I was approached as a long term local artist to see if I would be interested in being part of the Boyne Tannum Turtleway Artscape. I was interested in going to each location on the trail to see if I was inspired or felt a particular connection to one of the available spaces.
I feel in love with the intimacy of this particular space and the bridge.
As I sat in this space and looked closer I noticed the animals and in particular the crab holes just above the mangroves. They sparked my interest in creatively exploring the small things that we can sometimes miss if we are moving quickly through the landscape. I liked the idea of constructing a sculpture that was small and blended with the local environment. The crab holes led me to want to hero the local soldier crabs and be placed in a way that was subtle and only the keen observer would get to admire them.
My husband Brad Smith"s trade as a boilermarker meant that he could assist me in the construction of the crabs. I was great to work collaboratively on this project"
Construction
Each crab was constructed from marine grade stainless steel, and an 8mm stainless steel thread post was attached to the bottom of each crab. They were secured by drilling 12mm holes into the existing concrete and fixed with Chemset. Each crab is approximately 100mm x 100mm x 100mm high including thread post. Three slightly different crab poses have been constructed to add to the overall effect of the group design.
Launch of the Soldier Crabs Project- May 2016
