Friday, February 16, 2018

Ice Sculptures

Large and smaller ice sculptures are carved in advance of Winterlude out in the open in Confederation Park, and usually one of them will be one like this, with the name of the festival in English and French.


This is another one of the large ice sculptures out in the open air, erected on behalf of the Museum of Nature, depicting a butterfly.


I showed you some days back another ice sculpture of a horse and rider in a harness race set. This wall is beside it, encasing images in the ice. In 1979, there were harness races on the ice of the Rideau Canal during the first Winterlude, a nod back to the 19th century, when harness racing was done on the Canal's frozen surface. A period photograph of the race is on the left, while on the right, some of the riders are shown with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his sons at the time. Our current PM, Justin Trudeau, was seven at the time, and is the oldest of the three boys. I wonder if that image came from the PM himself.


Here are some of the smaller ice sculptures, each carved with a bench or a sitting place, ideal for photo ops, especially at night when they're lit up.

34 comments:

  1. Amazing photos and sculptures!
    Hooves galloping on ice is a scary image.

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  2. Love that butterfly and that bunny!

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  3. They are all so wonderful, amazing it is cut from ice.

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  4. Each one so lovely in its own right. I like the animals.Seems funny to see a butterfly in winter!

    Janis
    GDP

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  5. Amazing how art and nature combine from skilled hands on a chainsaw!

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  6. @Tom: it is!

    @Maywyn: I suspect they must have had some sort of cleats added to their feet for the races.

    @Lowell: so do I.

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Marianne: it's great work.

    @Janis: that's true!

    @Janey: it was well done.

    @Marie: it certainly is.

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  7. i had to laugh at the butterfly .. 'cause they wouldn't love snow or ice. but so so creative!! love the snowflake design too. nice!!! ( ;

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  8. Winterlude is a stunning carving.

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  9. So massive! I really love the bunny!

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  10. @Beth: they certainly wouldn't!

    @Red: it's quite an event each year.

    @Lois: so do I.

    @Sharon: definitely!

    @Jeanie: those sculptures you can pose with have been quite popular, especially at night.

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  11. I have to applaud your city for hosting so many great events like this!

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  12. It is nice that they provide a bench with those small ones! What a fabulous event that is, William! It is cool to see the pic of the Trudeaus.

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  13. Every time you post these photos of the ice sculptures, I am amazed at the beauty and intricateness of so many.

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  14. Oh my, these sculptors are so talented
    MB

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  15. I bet everything looks amazing at night with the lights!

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  16. The first two sculptures are beautiful.
    Nice to see how history has a place in the exhibition.

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  17. More awesome ice sculptures and photos!

    Happy Weekend to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  18. @Christine: this one is a long standing tradition!

    @Susie: they definitely are.

    @RedPat: it was a surprise to see. They often encase images into a wall like this.

    @Beatrice: much more to come. I'm still organizing shots!

    @MB: they certainly are.

    @Jenn: it does. I'm planning on finishing the series with some posts at night. I've taken all those shots, it's just a matter of getting them organized.

    @Jan: it's a good part of history, too.

    @Carol: I've got a lot more to come!

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  19. Thanks, William. Those are a work of art.

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  20. They're all beautifully carved and gorgeous.

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  21. The detail.... wow. Those are fabulous. Well done.
    ; )

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  22. So nice to see so many beautiful ice sculptures.

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  23. Hello, wonderful ice sculptures. They are all amazing, great details. Happy weekend to you!

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  24. I love the ice animals--all of them!

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  25. So, does someone, like the museum, hire someone?! I don't know if I missed that. My brain is a bit soggy these days...

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  26. @Mari: you're welcome.

    @Bill: that they are.

    @Catarina: I agree.

    @Kay: that it is.

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Eileen: thank you.

    @Norma: so do I.

    @Jennifer: I imagine they commission a local carver to do it.

    @Klara: it's a good one.

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