A fleeting masterpiece that appeared on a Cornwall beach highlights themes of nature’s beauty and fragilityA giant octopus made a surprise appearance on an English beach this week – or at least, a sand-drawn version of one did. Measuring 100 metres across, the ephemeral artwork appeared on Cornwall’s Watergate Bay on Tuesday, capturing the imaginations of beachgoers before vanishing under the incoming tide. The creation was the work of Sand In Your Eye, a British art collective known for its large-scale sand and land drawings. Armed with rakes and ropes, the team spent hours shaping the intricate octopus on to the shoreline in a process both meticulous and fleeting. Commissioned to coincide with the start of a summer programme at the Eden Project, the piece highlighted themes of nature’s beauty and fragility – ideas central to the group’s creative ethos.