This project is the continuation of ‘Infinite Ice Cube Sculpture No. 1’. It further explores the possibilities of creating an interesting, ‘form-changing’ sculpture using ice as a medium.
In the ‘No. 2’ version, the main differences are the larger scale and the methods of building the sculpture and of preserving the materials used. A welded inox frame – 41 x 38 x 62 cm. – fits perfectly in a small freezer below. The sculpture was built by heating small inox bars and putting them in the ice, or by sticking the ice cubes together using cold water. An inox reservoir collects the meltwater, which is then drained into a bucket.
The video above shows the progress of the sculpture from four different camera angles. In the video below the angles are projected on a rotating block in a 3D program. The pictures below give an overall impression of the installation.
The challenge for the artist is combining the transforming fysical characteristics of the material with a relevant content. A good example of such a combination is the 3D animation ‘The Ice-Cold Man’.
In both the No. 1 and the No. 2 versions of this sculpture, the content still remains a little vague. It will take further research to find an interesting and convincing transformational ice sculpture.
That making art is indeed a search is illustrated by the failed, yet interesting idea entitled ‘I’m Not Looking for Eternal Life, Art Is.’
Formwise, version ‘No. 1’ is a number of ice cubes put on a glass plate that collects the water and drains it through a copper tube that is heated with candles. Most of the meltwater evaporates; the rest is collected in a test tube.
The message can be this: as a rule a sculpture is made for eternity, but here it melts and evaporates. That raises the question: is art nothing but hot air? In this installation, a destilled fraction remains. Is that the essence of the art work, or is it a potion for eternal life?
Please find more pictures in the picture gallery.
