Winter in visual art, print version


Art from snow and ice in the heart of winter Lapland is a realm of snow, ice and kaamos – the dark heart of winter. Here everything that winter has to offer has been used imaginatively in sports and art alike. These include ice golf, snow volleyball, snowball fight competitions, and a drive-in theater for snowmobiles that is made out of snow. Every winter sees more and more snow structures and winter art events, and these are spread more throughout the province. I will present examples of what winter has to offer in which snow, ice and kaamos play a key role. These events have contributed to the winter art culture in Lapland as well as to ice and snow expertise in the province. This paper draws on newspaper articles, the home pages of events and information obtained from event organizers. One of the best-known winter attractions in Lapland is the Snow Castle in Kemi. It is a massive structure located right in the center of the town and surrounded by a wall of snow with several high turrets. Inside the castle walls, one finds exhibition space, a snow restaurant and hotel, as well as a chapel, in which tens of couples have been wed over the years. The Snow Castle offers programs for different segments of the public, and the exhibition areas show the work of children as well as professional artists. The Snow Castle has also invested effort in seeing to it that children enjoy themselves. In addition to organized activities, they have hills to coast down, a snowball sea and a snow labyrinth to play in. The Snow Castle is run by Oy LumiLinna Kemi SnowCastle Ltd., which is a subsidiary of the Icebreaker Sampo limited holding company. The town of Kemi owns 100% of the stock in the two companies. SnowCastle Ltd. handles sales, marketing and all other operations with the exception of construction, which is the responsibility of the town of Kemi. The first snow castle in Kemi was built in 1996, when the castle was the largest in the world. The first and second castles operated without charging entrance fees and attracted a phenomenal 643 000 visitors. Over the last three years, the number of visitors has evened off at around 100 000 annually. The castle has increased the attraction of the icebreaker Sampo as well as of Kemi as a winter destination for foreigners and families with children. According to a study carried out by the Helsinki Congress Bureau, a tourist spends about 110 – 185 euros a day in a community. The Kemi Snow Castle has inspired a boom in snow construction in Lapland that shows no signs of slowing. The castles have not only raised the standard of snow construction but also enhanced the professional skills of those building them as practical experience of building and knowledge of the properties of snow have accumulated. In addition, the castle has given rise to snow construction standards. The cultural event Skábmagovat–Kaamoksen kuvia [Skábmagovat–Reflections of the Endless Night], has been arranged annually since 1999 in the village of Inari. It is an event dealing with the culture of indigenous peoples or culture created about indigenous peoples as well as with nature during kaamos . Skábmagovat p resents topics in seminars, films and photographs. The event features Sámi films and focuses on the culture of other indigenous peoples as well, including films from Hawaii and Canada. The principal organizer of the event is Saamelaistaiteen Tuki ry – Sámi Dáidaga Doarjjasearvi rs [Friends of Sámi Art], whose aim is to make Sámi art better known. A project begun by the Friends of Sámi Art in 1998 succeeded in arranging a series of cultural events during kaamos in the village of Inari. Other organizers include Skábmagovat – Kaamoksen kuvia tuki ry [Skábmagovat – Reflections of the Endless Night], the Sámi Museum Siida and the Northern Lapland Nature Center. One of the principal venues of the Skábmagovat event is the 120-seat Revontuliteatteri [Northern Lights Theater]. In the theater, built of snow on the grounds of the old Sámi outdoor museum, movies are projected on a screen made of snow. The roof is the open starry sky above and occasionally the Northern Lights flashing in the heavens enhance the cinematic enjoyment. The coldest experiences in the Revontuli Theater have been movies shown at forty degrees below zero with the audience sitting on snow benches covered with reindeer hides. Skábmagovat has been accompanied by a course in photography for those with a professional interest in photographing winter and the Northern Lights. Children and youth have also been taken into account in planning the range of events. Some 3700 people took part in the event in 2003. Since 1999, Pello has been the venue for the international Blue Ice Art ice sculpting competition. The one-week event, organized in February, attracts mainly professional artists: sculptors, ice sculptors and painters. Twenty teams of 2 to 4 members each are chosen to take part in the competition. In 2003, the competition was arranged as a cup and was extended for the first time to municipalities near Pello in the Tornio River Valley, including those on the Swedish side of the river. The principal organizer of the event is Blue Ice Art Pello Oy. The event relies on cooperation with local businesses, municipalities and Utbildning Nord, an adult education center in Sweden. The public have the opportunity to follow ice sculpting and the creation of the works in the course of the competition. When complete, the sculptures form icy sculpture parks. Ice expertise has been developed by providing training on the subject. In addition to organizing the competition, Blue Ice Art Pello Oy has succeeded in making ice a viable product: it sells ice training, ice sculptures and natural ice, which is available in Pello year round. Ice is harvested from a clean lake in spring when ice is at its thickest and is stored outdoors in appropriate locations for later use. Susana Vuorjoki
© University of Lapland and Kemi-Tornio Polytechnic, Culture Unit

Art from snow and ice in the heart of winter

Lapland is a realm of snow, ice and kaamos – the dark heart of winter. Here everything that winter has to offer has been used imaginatively in sports and art alike. These include ice golf, snow volleyball, snowball fight competitions, and a drive-in theater for snowmobiles that is made out of snow. Every winter sees more and more snow structures and winter art events, and these are spread more throughout the province. I will present examples of what winter has to offer in which snow, ice and kaamos play a key role. These events have contributed to the winter art culture in Lapland as well as to ice and snow expertise in the province. This paper draws on newspaper articles, the home pages of events and information obtained from event organizers.

One of the best-known winter attractions in Lapland is the Snow Castle in Kemi. It is a massive structure located right in the center of the town and surrounded by a wall of snow with several high turrets. Inside the castle walls, one finds exhibition space, a snow restaurant and hotel, as well as a chapel, in which tens of couples have been wed over the years. The Snow Castle offers programs for different segments of the public, and the exhibition areas show the work of children as well as professional artists. The Snow Castle has also invested effort in seeing to it that children enjoy themselves. In addition to organized activities, they have hills to coast down, a snowball sea and a snow labyrinth to play in.

The Snow Castle is run by Oy LumiLinna Kemi SnowCastle Ltd., which is a subsidiary of the Icebreaker Sampo limited holding company. The town of Kemi owns 100% of the stock in the two companies. SnowCastle Ltd. handles sales, marketing and all other operations with the exception of construction, which is the responsibility of the town of Kemi. The first snow castle in Kemi was built in 1996, when the castle was the largest in the world. The first and second castles operated without charging entrance fees and attracted a phenomenal 643 000 visitors. Over the last three years, the number of visitors has evened off at around 100 000 annually. The castle has increased the attraction of the icebreaker Sampo as well as of Kemi as a winter destination for foreigners and families with children. According to a study carried out by the Helsinki Congress Bureau, a tourist spends about 110 – 185 euros a day in a community.

The Kemi Snow Castle has inspired a boom in snow construction in Lapland that shows no signs of slowing. The castles have not only raised the standard of snow construction but also enhanced the professional skills of those building them as practical experience of building and knowledge of the properties of snow have accumulated. In addition, the castle has given rise to snow construction standards.

The cultural event Skábmagovat–Kaamoksen kuvia [Skábmagovat–Reflections of the Endless Night], has been arranged annually since 1999 in the village of Inari. It is an event dealing with the culture of indigenous peoples or culture created about indigenous peoples as well as with nature during kaamos . Skábmagovat p resents topics in seminars, films and photographs. The event features Sámi films and focuses on the culture of other indigenous peoples as well, including films from Hawaii and Canada. The principal organizer of the event is Saamelaistaiteen Tuki ry – Sámi Dáidaga Doarjjasearvi rs [Friends of Sámi Art], whose aim is to make Sámi art better known. A project begun by the Friends of Sámi Art in 1998 succeeded in arranging a series of cultural events during kaamos in the village of Inari. Other organizers include Skábmagovat – Kaamoksen kuvia tuki ry [Skábmagovat – Reflections of the Endless Night], the Sámi Museum Siida and the Northern Lapland Nature Center.

One of the principal venues of the Skábmagovat event is the 120-seat Revontuliteatteri [Northern Lights Theater]. In the theater, built of snow on the grounds of the old Sámi outdoor museum, movies are projected on a screen made of snow. The roof is the open starry sky above and occasionally the Northern Lights flashing in the heavens enhance the cinematic enjoyment. The coldest experiences in the Revontuli Theater have been movies shown at forty degrees below zero with the audience sitting on snow benches covered with reindeer hides. Skábmagovat has been accompanied by a course in photography for those with a professional interest in photographing winter and the Northern Lights. Children and youth have also been taken into account in planning the range of events. Some 3700 people took part in the event in 2003.

Since 1999, Pello has been the venue for the international Blue Ice Art ice sculpting competition. The one-week event, organized in February, attracts mainly professional artists: sculptors, ice sculptors and painters. Twenty teams of 2 to 4 members each are chosen to take part in the competition. In 2003, the competition was arranged as a cup and was extended for the first time to municipalities near Pello in the Tornio River Valley, including those on the Swedish side of the river. The principal organizer of the event is Blue Ice Art Pello Oy. The event relies on cooperation with local businesses, municipalities and Utbildning Nord, an adult education center in Sweden.

The public have the opportunity to follow ice sculpting and the creation of the works in the course of the competition. When complete, the sculptures form icy sculpture parks. Ice expertise has been developed by providing training on the subject. In addition to organizing the competition, Blue Ice Art Pello Oy has succeeded in making ice a viable product: it sells ice training, ice sculptures and natural ice, which is available in Pello year round. Ice is harvested from a clean lake in spring when ice is at its thickest and is stored outdoors in appropriate locations for later use.