Frozen moment of Monroe
Virgil:
February 1st, 2007
Ice sculpture is a fascinating art, and perhaps one of the most beautiful and romantic as the artworks by their very nature will melt away with time. They are there for appreciation for a short period only, and in that short amount of time as many people as possible need to appreciate it to make the artist’s job worth it. I guess that’s why ice sculpture competitions are the most common way that these things get created, because it’s the best way for ice sculptors to get their works seen. It is interesting, though, to decide whether or not such sculpture really is artwork. At the latest and largest ice sculpture competition in Europe, the winner was a large snow sculpture of Marilyn Monroe, competing against similar effigies of King Kong, E.T. and Cindy Crawford. I am switching between two interpretations: arbitrary Madame-Tussaud’s-ism, or a genuine expression of how these icons are precious, momentary and ephemeral.