In Norwegian city, Tromsø, a gigantic ice sculpture measuring ten meters in length, four meters in height and 3.5 meters across will be presented at the city square at the end of February. The 44 ton art piece will be created by artists from Thailand who despite of the climate has some of the best ice artists in the world.
The sculpture will be a copy of the seal catching vessel “Polstjerna” which will be revealed Saturday, February 23 with representatives of the Thai Embassy present.
One of the organizers is the Thai association in Tromsø which works to promote Thai culture and tradition in the city.
“It will be the largest ice sculpture ever built in Norway,” says Wanna Helnes from the Thai-Tromsø association. She explains that the artists have already started preparations.
“They are world famous for their ice sculptures and have recently won prizes in both Japan and China. We have invited five sculptors who will shape and build the seal catching vessel MS “Polstjerna” in ice. The vessel is a monument of the city’s traditions. They have already started preparations in Thailand. I have sent them pictures of the “Polstjerna” which they shape in sand,” she explains.
She expects that the artists need a week to shape the vessel in ice. They will set up at the city square and when completed spots will be put up.
The challenge will be to supply enough blocks of ice before the sculptors start with chainsaws and ice picks.
“It will be a total of 44 tons of ice. We need 22 moulds that can contain two cubic meters of water and we need help in transporting the ice blocks to the square,” says Wanna Helnes.
The ice version of the “Polstjerna” will be at the square until it melts.
Se original article in Norwegian here
