Architectural icecapades - Front Page - Artists and architects team up to create structures of snow and ice

In March, a sneak preview of the Snow Show was held in the towns of Rovaniemi and Kemi in Finnish Lapland [see "Front Page," Jan. '03]. Set to take place beginning in late February 2004, the show was conceived by New York art dealer Lance Fung, who is organizing it along with Hilkka Liikkanen and Unto Kayhko, directors of the Rovaniemi and Kemi art museums. The budget of about $3 million is provided by the Structural Fund Programme of the European Community, as well as the Ministry of Education of Finland, the Lapland Cultural Fund and the local townships. Some 30-40 artist/architect teams will create structures, measuring up to approximately 1,075 square feet, in snow and ice, countering the often kitschy and touristy associations that ice sculptures and snow hotels now have. Among the participants are artists Nam June Paik, Yoko Ono, Anish Kapoor, Robert Barry and Ilya Kabakov, and architects or firms Tadao Ando, Rem Koolhaas, LOT/ek, Enrique Norten, Diller + Scofidio and Morphosis.

Early this spring, visitors got to see two trial structures, which will be re-created next year. In Rovaniemi, artist Jene Highstein and architect Steven Holl built a large rectangular ice structure, measuring approximately 26 by 33 by 30 feet. The elevated interior, accessible through steps at its base, was curved and open to the sky. The work's surface varied from frosted, on colder days, to translucent, on warmer days, its color changing with the light and the time of day.

Finnish artist Osmo Rauhala and Asymptote, the U.S. husband-and-wife design team of Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture, constructed a work in snow for the seaside town of Kemi. Despite the team's expressed desire to create new forms in snow, the structure from certain angles had a traditional igloolike appearance. Actually comprising two separate elements, the 124-foot-long work consisted of a pair of rounded forms, each with a long, undulating wall that reached toward the other but never touched (preliminary designs of the work resemble a modified infinity sign). From other viewpoints, however, the swooping walls visually connected the two parts into an elegant whole. Inside each "igloo" was a projection of ice skaters in New York's Central Park.

It will be interesting to see how many variations the teams can come up with using such tricky, and seemingly limited, materials. This trial run gave next year's participants a glimpse into the challenges that might arise, from technical problems to collaborative issues.

Another very different kind of preview of the Snow Show will take place at this summer's Venice Biennale. On view will be working drawings and models of the structures at their current stage of development, and documentation of correspondence between team members that will emphasize the collaborative nature of the projects. The Venice installation, largely supported by UNESCO, will be held in the Palazzo Zorzi.

For more information on the Snow Show go to www. thesnowshow.net.

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