Extra Event: Ice Sculpture

I visited the Indoor Ice Sculpture Museum in Harbin, China. Due to the fact that Harbin is very cold during the winter, ice sculpture has always been a large part of the culture. This indoor ice sculpture museum offered me the chance to view beautiful ice sculptures even in the summer. After entering the museum, visitors can rent large coats because the inside where the ice sculptures are displayed is around -13 degrees Fahrenheit.

(Sign for the Museum)

(Me with ticket before entering the display room)

Because I have seen the winter ice sculpture festivals before, so in comparison, this museum looks very small. However, it does have the key characteristic sculptures, such as sculptures of the Saint Sophia Cathedral, various animals, and igloos.

(Ice sculpture of Saint Sophia Cathedral)

It is very noticeable that the sculptures are not made out of a single large block of ice. Instead, they are composed of several smaller blocks of ices and then carefully stacked up and carved to form the shape. This reminded me of this class. We learned about math and art, and building these sculptures requires a lot of math. Through talking to one of the staffs, I learned that the ice sculptors would first draw their designs on paper and then carefully measure out the sizes and calculate the numbers of ice blocks that they need before they start carving.

(Composed of blocks of ice)

Furthermore, similar to the winter festivals, this museum decorated the various sculptures with lasers to create different colored backgrounds. Again, the use of lasers for decorated connects well to what we are learning in the class. This is a perfect example of the combination of art and science. Laser produces its colors through the emission of electromagnetic radiations, which reminds me a lot of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology also deals a lot with electrons and atoms. Technological inventions, such as lasers, are combined with art works, such as ice sculptures, to present a better viewing experience for the visitors.

(Laser decoration for the ice sculptures)

In addition to ice sculptures, there are also snow sculptures. The staff explained to me that snow sculptures are very hard to create because the snow is soft, so it is not as easy to carve and manipulate as ice. Also, it is hard to keep the snow sculptures in good shape since the temperature is still a bit too high. But despite these hardships and difficulties, the museum had some very detailed snow sculptures that are very eye-catching.

(Snow sculptures of flying horses in celebration of the year of horse)

(Snow sculpture of a cow)

(Snow Sculpture of a lady with a dog)

Although there were not as many ice and snow sculptures as the annual winter festival would’ve had, it was still a great experience to view some ice artworks in the midst of the summer heat. This is my first time going to the Indoor Ice Sculpture Museum and not only did I get the chance to view the artworks, I also learned a lot of ice and snow sculptures. I will definitely visit again to see their new pieces.