THE COOLEST ART & DESIGN
If your cool has wilted in July’s heat, you might consider living in an icebox for a few nights -- a gorgeous, high-design ice-box, of course so you can get your aesthetic cool groove back too. Simply book a room at an ice hotel.
Ice hotels, hotels built entirely (or mostly) of ice, are built anew each winter, with brand new designs, using fresh batches of ice and snow. They are, in essence, annual massive collaborative art and design projects.
The concept was originated in 1994, by ICEHOTEL, 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, and has since been copied by others. With the structure, the furniture, and the furnishings made of ice, they can only exist in below freezing temperatures. They typically operate from December through April, then melt away, leaving space for the new version to emerge the following winter. But it’s July now. Not to worry. There is a way.
ICEHOTEL is the only one to offer a summer version..... ice just when you need it most. Contained in a “freeze house,” it is smaller than the winter spread, with only 2 art suites, an ICEBAR and an ice sculpting studio. And there are tons of beautiful things to experience. You can enjoy the midnight sun as you raft, cycle, hike, and BBQ by the Torne River.
Ice from the Torne River is on another beautiful quest right now, as it is currently on a gastronomic journey throughout Sweden, meeting up with some of Sweden’s top chefs and mixologists. Mitt kök Sverigeresan (My Kitchen Sweden Journey) is a 5-week long program running on the Swedish morning TV show Nyhetsmorgon, featuring locations around Sweden, with mobile food trucks serving gorgeous local food and drink, all served on/in ICEHOTEL’s magnificent ice plates and glasses.
Follow them on Instagram for more inspiration on food, drinks, and pure Torne River ice.
With an eye turned towards this coming winter, artists and designers have been busy creating sketches and mockups for the 2013-2014 ICEHOTEL.
If you visit ICEHOTEL this summer, you can get a sneak peak at next winter’s ICEHOTEL in-the-making inside their ice factory.
Here are some highlights from the 2013 Ice Art Exhibition:
You can see last winter’s Art Suites here.
Photo: A. Dubber, British Antarctic Survey
Ice Lab: New Architecture and Science in Antarctica, is a new international touring exhibition featuring cutting-edge architectural designs for buildings in frozen environments. The program, commissioned by the British Council and curated by the Arts Catalyst, features five very cool (yes we know we are overusing this punnish thing, but they really are very cool) designs for Antarctic research stations. Not only will these buildings keep scientists safe from their bitter subzero, ultra-windy, desert-dry surroundings, they will do it with beauty and grace.
Check out architectural drawings, models, photographs, and films to get a taste. A newly commissioned light and audio work by Glasgow-based artists, Torsten Lauschmann, is another delight. The art and design of nature is featured as well, with 4.5 billion year old meteorites, prehistoric ice cores with air-bubbles that might have been dinosaur breath, and a pristine south polar view of of the stars.
The featured projects are:
British Antarctic Survey’s Halley VI, the first fully relocatable polar research station in the world, became fully operational in February 2013 to be an aesthetically stimulating place to live and work.
Princess Elisabeth Antarctica by the International Polar Foundation (Belgium), is Antarctica's first zero-emission station, using wind and solar energy, passive building technologies, and a smart grid. Plus, no interior heating required!
Bharati Research Station by bof Architekten / IMS (Germany) is made from 134 prefabricated shipping containers, wrapped in a special aluminium case, and with extensive glazing. It casts a minimalist shadow and offers an unparalleled panoramic view.
Jang Bogo, by Space Group (South Korea), with an aerodynamic triple-arm design will be one of the largest year-round bases (2014.)
Iceberg Living Station by MAP Architects (Denmark) is a design concept for a future research station 100% made of ice, holed out of a large iceberg by excavators used to clear snow.
Photo: Courtesy of Amazon
If you would like a glimpse of real Ice Age art, flip through “Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind
If you’d like to experience your freeze experience at the opera, Glyndebourne’s production of Hippolyte et Aricie obliges with a frosty Diana perched inside an icebox. See more about in our Ice Events post tomorrow (07.18.13)
Hippolyte et Aricie podcast (24 mins)
Download this episode (right click save)
(Musical extracts used with kind permission of Warner Music)
Be sure to check out our other Beautiful Cool posts this week, including "Cool Events" (Friday), and “A Beautiful Chill Out” (Saturday). And check out our photo competition this week. And check out our photo competition this week. The theme: Beautiful Cool (Deadline, July 21st, 2013)
