Sunday, April 24, 2022

Sculpting The Ice

 Turning to Winterlude 2020 today. Little did we know that this was the last festival before Covid really shut things down and there wouldn't be much of a Winterlude for two years. The big ice sculptures were moved out to the Sparks Street pedestrian mall that year, still a puzzling decision. While this street has hosted smaller sculptures for years, it doesn't seem an appropriate place for the big ones (I'd vastly prefer them to be in Confederation Park, but the Byward Market as they were in 2019 wasn't a bad location). Besides, I know of someone who works high up in the group that runs the pedestrian mall's business organization, and she must do her job better than raising her son (the son's a juvenile delinquent, asshole, and mouthy punk who will inevitably spend his life in and out of prison). 

That's beside the point. The other problem in 2020 was that the big sculptures weren't sheltered, and this ended up wrecking havoc on the sculptures as the festival went on. I hope Winterlude organizers keep this in mind for the future, regardless of where the ice sculptures end up next year.

This first one in process was of Louis Riel, the Metis leader who was hung for treason, but is considered today a Father of Confederation, as he was the founder of Manitoba.


Others in process. People enjoy seeing the carvers at work.


This mastodon, which incidentally is a different animal from a woolly mammoth, was lit up when I visited on another evening.


Smaller sculptures had also been built.


Here was Riel, lit up.

28 comments:

  1. Life seems to be getting back to normal here.

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  2. Festivals are resuming in Finland too.

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  3. I thank you for sharing the beauty. I am happy, though, it´s warming up here.
    Hope you get better than "mostly okay" soon...

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  4. I wonder what Louis Riel might have said to the Pope were he part of the recent Métis delegation?

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  5. Es de agradecer, que se permitn las visitas, mientras los talladores realizan su trabajo.

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  6. The festival is a fun time, love the sculptures. Our normal is a new normal now, thanks to Covid.
    Take care, enjoy your day and the new week ahead.

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  7. ...the artists never seem to run out of ideas.

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  8. Thanks for the information COVID brought so many things to a screeching halt, even now when I see places that finally have opened I’m surprised. What a turmoil but we survived and there have been some benefits through it all. And these fine works of art make my day with tedious work performing such gorgeous talent!

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  9. I find the sculpture of Riel the most impressive in this series.

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  10. That fourth one was quite something.

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  11. That would be fun to watch and see these creations take shape.

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  12. It does look a bit chaotic out there while they are working.

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  13. @Joan: in some degree.

    @Italiafinlandia: same here.

    @Iris: working on it.

    @David: harsh words.

    @Ventana: thank you.

    @Eileen: quite true.

    @Tom: they are creative.

    @Francisco: thanks.

    @Karen: thank you.

    @Jan: me too.

    @Marie: it was.

    @Denise: I enjoy it.

    @RedPat: there's much to do.

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  14. hi came here from Red's place
    you have such an amazing blog ,i enjoyed my visit so much ,had no idea snow can be experimented in such wonderful way :)
    blessings!

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  15. Going to head to the Art Gallery today.. your post has inspired me to see beauty today, even though the world seems to be crumbling around us somedays.

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  16. Carvers with creative ideas and lots of talent.

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  17. Amazing details in the ice sculptures.

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  18. the whole event is such a treat. I would love to watch carvers at work.

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  19. Must be fascinating to watch the sculptors

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  20. It must be very interesting to watch the sculptors at work.
    A nice collection of photographs William, thank you.

    All the best Jan

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  21. @baili: thank you.

    @Eden: Well said.

    @Bill: definitely.

    @happyone: indeed.

    @Klara: I love it.

    @Maywyn: it is.

    @Jan: you're welcome.

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  22. The carving process must be amazing to watch ~

    Normal? What's normal? Classic question.


    Wishing you laughter and love in your day,

    A SutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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