Ice Sculpture Designs, Ice Carvings and Ice Art
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. There are several ice festivals held around the world, hosting competitions of ice sculpture carving.
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 tools such as chainsaws and
specialty bits fitted to a die grinder.
Ice sculptors also use razor-sharp chisels and hand saws that are specifically designed for cutting ice.
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 from ice. Color effects are also possible by a number
of techniques, including the addition of colored gels or sand to the
ice.
This art form is traditionally taught in culinary schools
using text books such as Ice Sculpting the Modern Way, Joseph
Amendola's Ice Carving Made Easy and Mac Winker's Ice Sculpture: The Art
of Ice Carving in 12 Systematic Steps. There are also small schools
that teach ice carving.
Ice sculptures feature decoratively in some cuisines
and may be used to enhance the presentation of foods, especially cold
foods such as seafood or sorbets. The story of the creation of the dish
Peach Melba recounts that Chef Auguste Escoffier used an ice swan to
present the dish.[1] At holiday buffets and Sunday brunches some large restaurants and hotels will use ice sculptures to decorate the buffet tables. Cruise ship buffets are also famous for their use of ice sculptures.
Ice sculptures are often used at wedding receptions, usually as some form of decoration. Popular subjects for ice sculptures at weddings are hearts, doves, and swans. Swans have a reputation for monogamy, partly accounting for their popularity.
Ice sculptures may be used at a bar, in the form of an ice luge, or even the entire bar may be made of ice.
There are a
number of international ice and snow sculpting events around the world.
The largest events are, understandably, held in countries with cold
winters. Due to land distribution and population densities in the higher
latitudes, large ice sculpture events are almost exclusively held in
the Northern Hemisphere. A number of countries, some listed below, have
established traditions of ice sculpting and have made contributions to
the art. Ice artists from these countries regularly appear at
international ice sculpture events.
No comments:
Post a Comment