The art of sculpting at subzero temperatures

Jordá participated in eleven editions and this year was also selected among: 49 quotes sent from around the world To be the only Spanish artist coming to exhibit their work final stage, reduced to twenty piecesFive of them are by French authors, the rest are from different countries, especially Northern Europe.

“It’s a competition where I feel very safe and comfortable and right now I added it to my agenda. Since they first chose me I went into a routine of introducing myself, I was scared as I had never worked with ice but they let me. intern at ice factory (Cubisac de Villafranqueza) and every year since, I don’t stop learning. This is a very broad field and there are many tools to work with this material,” explains the man studying this subject from Alicante Restoration and Fine ArtsHe works as a restaurant manager and also develops painting and sculpture projects. temporary work on ice.

“I’m having a great time with the ice, and maybe I’m intrigued by the contrast of having this climate here and having barely seen the snow,” explains Enrique Jordá, who has been working in Valloire this year. average temperature 6 degrees below zeroHe describes it as “good” – he had done it in other years at -20 degrees Celsius – “because you can work without freezing“It didn’t rain either, and there were days when the weather was nice despite a few hours of intense sun during which we protected the statues with thermal covers.”

mentioned project sword of Damocles, designed it using Blender (a 3D computer program), and in France, the 3-meter-high piece was made from five blocks of ice measuring 100 x 50 x 25 centimeters on a 70 x 100 x 100 snow base. centimeter. Participants worked on sculptures a little over four days and the pieces stay around a week in public“They melt slowly, when the sun hits them, they first turn white, then they deteriorate.” The place in the heart of the Alps where the competition is held is small but very touristic. It is usually very crowded, especially as it is frequented by those who come to ski.

about work

His statue was made this year Inspired by the legend about the sword of Damocles. “I wanted to represent the throne of King Dionysus. According to legend, Damocles was a courtier who asked Dionysus to be king for a day in order to feel rich and powerful. The king accepted Damocles’ request and currently holds the office. He always did this.” noticed a sword hung above his headwith the constant risk of falling. At that moment he decided that he no longer wanted to be king,” the ice artist explains about this metaphor, “which apparently means that it is not advisable to envy what others have because we do not know the flaws behind appearances. It seemed to me like a very appropriate myth to interpret and represent.both in terms of its symbols and the moral teachings it conveys”.

He used it in this latest work, as he did in the statue he erected last year. spherical shapes To reinforce the “symbolic burden of the myth”, “representing the throne with the sword about to fall seemed like a very strong idea to me and I wanted to do something organic, very variable”.

Regarding the tools used, Jordá usually uses: chainsaw, gouges, ice scoops, syringe to seal the joints with water” and I also did a number of things adapted scrapers to the curvature of different shapes to be carved. For example, the chainsaw is also used in other types of wooden sculptures.

Vote on the web

Jordá has not won any awards in this edition so far, but still Internet Prize continues to fail The winner of the 2016 competition and the competition where the public can vote until January 26 at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe8AfAY3vq0x_yVFiol_uG-wUymTWV3toZyRnrAsP9uxpw7lg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3WprkcEb2C7-SH-CJ817sktq78hrKn1lmxMJkeyc3IWAQK9oL h F w5MntY