Ice Carving & Sculpting

Duncan Hamilton is an artist. He doesn't use paint or a musical instrument. The longest it's taken him to complete a masterpiece is 2 weeks, but most of the time he's under a tighter deadline. What does Duncan sculpt and carve that he has to finish his work in such a short period of time? Ice.

Before turning blocks of ice into people, animals and other interesting objects, Duncan used to be a chef. He began sculpting in the mid '70s after dishing it up in London for a while. He also lectured at a college for a short time but dropped that to spend all his time sculpting ice. Now he has his own business and international recognition. Here's what he has to say about his ice sculptures.

How Long Do Ice Sculptures Last?

Ice sculptures are going to melt but the good thing is, most of them actually look better after a few hours at room temperature. You don't have to keep them in the fridge when they are on display. An average sculpture will last around six to seven hours. It might take a couple days for it to completely melt. Obviously, smaller ones don't last as long.

An Ice Sculpture Down The Drain

Duncan doesn't have a problem with his work disappearing so quickly. "A carving should be considered like a performance, where the work evolves and changes in fascinating and unexpected ways."

Special Ice For Special Sculptures

Ice sculptors don't use tap water to make their carvings. They carefully and slowly produce their own ice to make it perfectly clear. They've also come up with a technique to control the number of bubbles and fractures. They can also make white ice.

The Studio Of An Ice Sculptor

Duncan and his team don't usually work in the freezing cold. Deep frozen ice can be too brittle to make into works of art. Instead, they store ice at different temperatures. Even when it's melting, ice can still burn your skin, so everyone wears special, cold-resistant clothing.

Ice Sculptures Come In All Shapes and Sizes

The largest ice sculpture made by Duncan and his ice sculpting team was comissioned for an advertisment. It took two weeks to make and weighed about 26 tonnes. The largest indoor carving was a 40 foot wide fantasy castle for a wedding. The smallest are hand-made ice cubes and rocks for drink commercials - something Duncan does often.

Have any other questions about ice sculpting and carving? Or just wanna see some super-cool ice sculptures? Check out www.icesculpture.co.uk.

Ice sculpting is cool! I like ice.
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Age: 13

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