Ice and snow sculpture

Ice and snow sculpture Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material. Sculptures from ice can be abstract or realistic and can be functional or purely decorative. Ice sculptures are generally associated with special or extravagant events because of their limited lifetime. The lifetime of a sculpture is determined primarily by the temperature of its environment and thus, a sculpture can last from mere minutes to possibly months.

Ice and snow sculpture The raw material Sculpting ice presents a number of difficulties due to the peculiarities of the material. Ice must be carefully selected to be suitable for the sculptor's purposes and should be free of undesired impurities. Typically, ideal carving ice is made from pure, clean water. Clear ice is mostly the result of slow freezing that allows impurities to escape. Certain machines and processes allow for slow freezing and the removal of impurities and therefore are able to produce the clear blocks of ice that are favored by ice carvers.

Ice and snow sculpture Techniques The temperature of the environment affects how quickly the piece must be completed to avoid the effects of melting. If the sculpting does not take place in a cold environment, then the sculptor must work quickly to finish his piece. Some sculptures can be completed in as little as ten minutes if the carver is using power tool such as chainsaws. As various technologies are adapted for use with ice carving, many sculptures are now created largely by machine. Such machines and molding systems are now commonly used to create ice sculptures and complicated logos from ice. Color effects are also possible by a number of techniques, including the addition of colored dyes, gels or sand to the ice.

Ice and snow sculpture Ice sculpture around the world There are several ice festivals held around the world, hosting competitions of ice sculpture carving. China In China, Heilongjiang Province is the most significant region for ice sculpture. The most famous event is the increasingly popular International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival held annually in Harbin. The festival has consistently increased in size over the years, with more talented artists involved and more impressive techniques and pieces on show. Ice sculpture decoration ranges from the modern technology of lasers to traditional ice lanterns. The climate of Heilongjiang is very cold and ice is abundant. Objects of all sizes appear, up to and including building-sized pieces.

Ice and snow sculpture The USA (Fairbanks, Alaska) Since 1989, Alaska has hosted the annual World Ice Art Championships. Nearly 100 sculptors come from around the world to sculpt large blocks of pure natural ice. The event is run almost exclusively by volunteers. In a typical year, more than 45,000 spectators pass through the gates of the Ice Park home of the World Ice Art Championships. The competition is broken down into two main categories: Single Block and Multi-Block and each competition is further separated into Abstract and Realistic sculptures. One of the most popular attractions is the Kids Park where children of all ages can glide down ice slides or spin in ice rotating tops.

Ice and snow sculpture Canada The Ice Castle at the International Ice Sculpture Competition and Exhibition 2005, Lake Louise, Alberta In Canada, Quebec City, Quebec holds an ice sculpture festival each year during the Quebec City Winter Carnival. The sculpture festival lasts about three weeks. For the sheer variety of ice sculptures and the number of visitors, the Quebec festival is regarded by some as the best in the world. Each year about twenty teams are chosen to participate in the competition. Half of these teams come from Canada and the others come from other countries. Ice sculpting started to become important in Quebec in the 1880s!

Ice and snow sculpture Each year Lake Louise, located in Banff National Park holds a 3 day event called Ice Magic in the third weekend of January. Professional carvers are invited to compete in this event staged in the shadow of the glacier Mt. Victoria. Twelve teams of three carvers are given 15 blocks of ice which they must transform into ice sculptures in three days. Weather permitting, the sculptures will remain on display through March.

Ice and snow sculpture Japan The Japanese city of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaidō is famous for its winter carnival, in which teams compete to create ice sculptures. Some of these creations are the size of multiple-story buildings. Russia An annual competition is held at Moscow's Gorky Park, Perm Gorky Park, in Salekhard and other cities.

Ice and snow sculpture Snow sculpture is a sculpture form comparable to sand sculpture or ice sculpture in that most of it is now practiced outdoors, and often in full view of spectators. The materials and the tools differ widely, but often include hand tools such as shovels, hatchets, and saws. Snow sculptures are usually carved out of a single block of snow about 6 to 15 feet on each side and weighing about 20 – 30 tons. The snow is densely packed into a form after having been produced by artificial means or collected from the ground after a snowfall.

Ice and snow sculpture Since 1973 there has been an international snow sculpture contest during the Quebec City Winter Carnival and more recently the Winterlude celebrations (in Ottawa) have had snow sculpture events. Many U.S. states hold their own competitions with a national event being held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin each year. Perm, Russia; Breckenridge, Colorado; Sapporo, Japan; Frankenmuth, Michigan, and the Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival also host snow sculpting events. The Saint Paul Winter Carnival which hosts snow and ice carving competitions is the oldest annual winter carnival in the world, with the first one being held in 1886!

More ice and snow sculptures

More ice and snow sculptures