giant barbie wave by annette thas is built from over 3,000 dolls

giant barbie wave by annette thas is built from over 3,000 dolls
(above) photo by clyde yee / courtesy of sculpture by the sea

towering over 9 feet above the surface of cottesloe beach’s pristine sand in perth, australia is the monumental sculptural installation by belgian artist annette thas. ‘wave 1’, created for the 2014 sculpture by the sea, is intricately crafted from over 3,000 barbie dolls, collected from various second-hand shops — a symbol of the personal stories of every doll’s former owner. inspired by her own childhood memories and emotional reminders of her youth, thas wanted to find a way to universally represent the precious and short period of time through the piece. using an icon of play, whimsy and carefree adolescent amusement, thas worked with the barbie doll, weaving thousands of plastic toys together into an overwhelming, free-standing composition, rising above the indian ocean and soaring over visitors of the beach. at over 12 feet wide, those seated beneath the wave’s expanse are completely enveloped by its length. clearly influenced by its surroundings, thas’ installation references the forms from its environment, both juxtaposing and blending in to its surroundings. ‘wave 1’ has recently been selected as people’s choice prize at sculpture by the sea.

the towering barbie wave overlooks the indian ocean
photo by clyde yee / courtesy of sculpture by the sea

the barbie wave towers over the child
photo by jarred seng / courtesy of sculpture by the sea

between 3,000 and 5,000 barbie dolls have been used in the sculpture
photo by jarred seng / courtesy of sculpture by the sea

the dolls have been individually woven together into the wave formation
photo by jarred seng / courtesy of sculpture by the sea