What is Ice sculpture?

Ice sculpture is a form of sculpture that uses ice as the raw material.

Sculpting ice presents a number of difficulties due to the variability and volatility of the material. Ice must be carefully selected to be suitable for sculpting.

Material

The ideal material should be made from pure, clean water for high transparency, and have the minimum amount of air bubbles.

Process

Completely clear ice sculpture blocks weighing 300 lbs (140 kg) and measuring 40"×20"×10" (100 cm × 50 cm × 25 cm) are produced by specialized machines from the Clinebell company based in Colorado.

Much larger clear blocks are produced by large machines in Europe or are harvested from ice quarries in Fairbanks, Alaska or a frozen river in Sweden. These large ice blocks must be moved by heavy machinery and are used for large ice sculpting events or as part of an ice hotel.

Temperature

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.

Time

Some sculptures can be completed in as little as ten minutes if the carver is using power tools such as chainsaws and specialty die grinders.

Usage

Many people first see an ice carver at work on cruises at sea where ice sculptures are often used in the elaborate food displays.

Ice chisels

Ice sculptors also use razor-sharp chisels that are specifically designed for cutting ice. The best ice chisels are made in Japan, a country that, along with China, has a long tradition of magnificent ice sculptures.

Technology

As various technologies are adapted for use with ice carving, many sculptures are now created largely by machine. CNC machines and molding systems are now commonly used to create ice sculptures and complicated logos and color effects are now possible using recent methods.

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