Ice sculpting competition hots up in Canary Wharf

By Simon Hayes on January 15, 2010 1:06 PM |

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You might think there has been more than enough ice around in recent weeks but Canary Wharf had a whole lot more today.

The London Ice Sculpting Festival got underway in Canada Square this morning, with international sculptors looking to carve a name for themselves.

The Festival, which runs until tomorrow, is the brainchild of Sally Cordery of Art Alone.

She said: "This is the second year of the Festival and we've brought it to Canary Wharf because it seemed the ideal location.

"All the teams taking part are professional artists and are sculptors in one medium or another, so the standard is very high.

"It's going very well so far and my biggest hope is that people will see it as an inspirational and exciting event."

And it's not just the professionals who are having all the fun. Members of the public can try turning a lump of ice into an exquisitely carved penguin in free masterclasses run by Icebox.

But it's the serious sculptors, armed with chainsaws and chisels, who are the main focus, and the five teams - including the UK pair of Natalie Smith and Mick Fox - are battling it out for a glass trophy and £500 of prize money.

The winning effort will be judged by Guy Portelli, a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors, Sally Williams, Canary Wharf Group's public art consultant and Carol Cordery.

The result will be announced at 3pm tomorrow.