this sand structure by huang yong ping isn’t a castle, but it does weigh 40,000 lbs

‘bank of sand, sand of bank’ by huang yong ping is on display in new york at gladstone gallery (21st street). it is an exact 20-ton sand-replica of the former HSBC bank in shanghai, built by palmer and turner in 1923.

all images courtesy of gladstone gallery

huang yong ping’s 20-ton castle — made of unstable grains of sand and sturdy concrete — is commentary on the original structure’s curiously contradictory life thus far. it was a neoclassical landmark, then, after the chinese revolution of 1949, it was a communist government building, and then in the 90s it became a pudong development bank building. the structure has seen some changes and some unstable times; ironically, all of these prior purposes — landmark, government, bank — were supposed to represent strength and stability. 

bank of sand, sand of bank is on display now at gladstone gallery, and — according to david behringer (hat tip) at the two percent — there are no ropes or barriers surrounding the structure. see it up close, but please respect huang yong ping’s creation.