This Huge Wave Of Barbies Will Crash Into Your Imagination

Barbie's hitting the beach again, but not in the way you might think.

Artist Annette Thas has built a nearly 10-foot-tall wave out of thousands of used Barbies. The installation became a talker this month at the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition in Cottesloe Beach in Australia.

In the interview above, Thas calls her work a "wave of memory." Inspiration sparked when the Perth-based artist returned to her native Belgium to visit her sick sister. She said memories of childhood came flooding back.

"A lot of emotions were overwhelming me, and I wanted to translate that into an artwork that was quite universal, what people could understand," she says in the clip.

Thas told the West Australian that it took seven weeks to tie the dolls into the frame. But apparently her labor paid off: She pocketed $2,500 for winning the people's choice award and $2,000 for the kids' choice award.

Barbie, who turned 55 this year amid continued debate over her unrealistic proportions, has generated plenty of artwork throughout the years. The pieces range from the subversive to a tweaked knockoff that recently spawned a fundraising effort for a "normal" Barbie.

(h/t Laughing Squid)