Lighted Landsharks Troll West Cliff

Sunday's usual gathering of fire dancers, dread locks, and light show enthusiasts got an eyeful of the surreal yesterday, when four stealthy creatures appeared just after nightfall on the grass in front of the . They were local artist Todd Williams' Landsharks, designed to "swim" about a foot off the ground.

The sharks are mounted to a heavy duty remote controlled monster truck base, which, in the dark, becomes almost invisible. Their chomping jaws, undulating tails and gills are what you do see, outlined in neon electroluminescent, "el wire," which blink in succession. Pictures are one thing, but to stand with your ankles at jaw level to little beasts is a different experience entirely. 

Since they are remote controlled, the sharks really do have a mind of their own, and they like to show off by nipping around the crowd. Last night's raindrops gave their black skin an eery glisten, as if they had emerged from the waves crashing below. 

 “He thinks they’re real! He’s whistling to them and wants to give them a treat,” says Stevie Soto about her son, Austin, 3, who, fascinated, stood in front of  the blue shark, "Sparky" and stared. Children especially, seem to love these sharks, but squeals of delight and amazed laughs came from all of the adults present as well.

There were also two pink hammerheads on the prowl, smaller-framed and full of character with an oggling blue eye ball at each end of their head.

The light patter of rain Sunday night threatened to short the black boxes that control the lights, but the sharks stood up well to the weather and seemed, strangely, in their element. Williams plans on making a waterproof model, and to continue to improve their durability for festivals like Burning Man and Coachella, where they have recently been lurking.

"I'm just going to be improving them and making them more durable," says Williams, who describes how one of his hammerhead sharks was tackled  by a young intoxicated male at Coachella this year. "She [Stella] got all bent up. He just ran up and did a full on tackle. It was a good tackle, and he was like 'I tackled the shark!!' but that was about the depth of his thinking," laughs Williams. 

Williams is a sculpture and jewelry maker in Santa Cruz and made his first shark a few years ago in a sculpture class at Cabrillo. They are made from a wire frame, with a tissue paper and gel medium similar to paper mache, and then spray painted and laquered for the scaly shine.

He first got the idea of "moveable art" after seeing a tumble weed float by on the back of a remote control truck at Burning Man, and he first came across "el wire" at Burning Man as well. You can stay tuned for upcoming shark appearances by checking out his "Land Sharks by Todd William Design" facebook page. 

Q + A with the Shark Guy, Todd Williams:

Santa Cruz Patch: How does it feel to take the sharks out in Santa Cruz, where they were essentially born, and where this powerful ocean beast is relevant to our backyards?

Todd Williams: I like taking them out near the ocean, it's so different than the desert or Maker Faire. It feels like they have come out of the sea for a visit to
our world. The crowds always vary even in the same place an hour
later. Here they are a treat that most people luck into, which is fun
to see their reactions. It's too bad we had wet weather and that kept the crowd
small. It does feel right to be near the water with them, it is our
home here. It is fun to share with our community.

Santa Cruz Patch: You recently participated in the Maker Faire for the third year in a row, how did it go this year?

Todd Williams: The Maker Faire was quite fun again, the children went nuts chasing the sharks and being chased. The crowd was very supportive and said
lots of nice things. I was too busy to see much myself. I met a few
potential customers and am meeting with a gallery owner to discuss a
commission and  possible representation today. I did love the huge
boulders at MF that we could spin. I met a few artists that were
making interesting work and saw a few amazing projects roll by
outside. The whole event is inspiring.

Patch: You posted on facebook that the sharks were having a "Spa Day" before their evening debut, what kinds of preparations did they undergo?

Williams: The Sharks spent four hours being recharged and  had minor repairs done. I replaced a gear and a drvieshaft on one of the cars from MF wear and
tear, showing off for the crowd beats on the equipment.

Patch: When will you be taking them out in the Santa Cruz public again?

Williams: The sharks will be out again in about a month, same place. I will
announce it on the Landsharks facebook page and Todd Williams Design
Facebook page. I hope to bring out more at the same time. The [el wire] clothes
are in the process of being made for Burning Man and photos will be
posted when they are done. My Friend Tatiana Elliston and I will be
entering the  FashionArt Runway show in Santa Cruz in September with our
el wire clothes and costumes. 

Check out more photos of Todd William's Landsharks! 

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