Sapporo Snow Festival
Sapporo, Japan
February 5th, 2013- February 11, 2013
The snow storm, Nemo, just happened to correspond with the internationally acclaimed winter event Sapporo Snow Festival. Every winter, millions of spectators come to gawk at the very detailed and ephemeral works created by artists worldwide especially for the contest. This year, the prize went to Thailand for an incredible display of elephants on parade. The Sapporo website offers a glimpse on how these large scale models are built, where the snow is bulldozed to make a firm base, and then the snow is literally heaped on top with the help of heavy machinery and cranes until it is packed about 23 feet high up. Next, a wooden frame is built around the mass to help harden the snow, and scaffolding is attached. Then the sculpting can begin. The amount of effort and beauty put into these fleeting creations can act as inspiration for families to make its own (smaller scale) snow sculptures. Using the snow as a medium allows for all sorts of public art that can help to beautify our environment, even if only for a few hours until the sun is shining.
KNOCK KNOCK JOKE from Yo Gabba Gabba
Knock Knock
Who's There
Ken
Ken Who?
Ken I come in, it's freezing out here!
LINKS TO GET INTO IT
Complex Magazine: The 25 Most Spectacular Snow Sculptures
The High Line's Snow Sculpt Off
Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships
EXTENSIONS:
For Parents: Reframing art as something impermanent and evanescent may free us from the pressure of striving for lasting perfection in our own work and life. Using the materials at hand and the time constraints that we have, to do the best we can, and to be happy with those results is difficult. Slowing down to enjoy the process can create more space, ultimately resulting in richer ideas and outcomes, even when it feels like time is slipping through our fingers. Take a moment to think how allowing the idea of impermanence could affect your life?
For Kids: For further inspiration on building a snowman, read Snowballs by Lois Ehlert or The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. But for a book that really demonstrates the magic of a snowfall, try to find Something is Going to Happen by Charlotte Zolotow. I returned my own copy to the Brooklyn Library by mistake last week, so it will probably be available on their shelves soon enough!
No comments:
Post a Comment