Ice sculpture art comes to Munich for the millennium
A snowman seldom has the grace of an ancient sculpture, but the figures that can be created with the winter precipitation prove that it is perfect material for sculpting — as long as the weather cooperates. Organizers of Münchener Schneekunst 2000 sought to rekindle an old Munich pastime when they came up with the idea of having professional sculptors work with snow. The practice was popular in Bavaria’s capital from the late 19th century to the end of 1950s. From December 30 to January 7, young artists will erect snow sculptures at three central locations in the city: a gigantic snowball measuring 3.5 meters in diameter will flank the square in front of the Gasteig, a 64 m3 geometrical sculpture will decorate the space in front of the IMAX cinema and Isartor will host an ice cold pyramid ornamented with hearts and other paraphernalia. The sculptors working at the Gasteig and IMAX, Hubert Jostner and Gregor Passens, are experienced when it comes to working with nature’s frozen deposits. Both took part in the 1998 ice-sculpturing championship in Moscow. All the artists need now is a Russian winter in Munich otherwise their works won’t be around to greet the new millennium. <<<