Yearly Event and Exhibition
The snow sculpture is a sculpture form comparable to sand sculpture or ice sculpture in that most of it is now practiced outdoors and often in full view of spectators, thus giving it kinship to performance art in the eyes of some. The materials and the tools differ widely but often include hand tools such as shovels, hatchets, and saws. Snow sculptures are usually carved out of a single block of snow about 6 to 15 feet on each side and weighing about 20 - 30 tons. The snow into a form after being produced by artificial means or collected from the ground after a snowfall.
On the shore of Kemijoki River and the town center, Tervola Lapland, during Winterfestival, a fine spray of snow pelts visitors from every direction from Europe and Scandinavia. It's not because of flurries blowing off the water or a nasty winter storm. Instead, all that chilly commotion is by a small army of children, men and women tearing into large and small snow blocks with saws and tools, Tervola Lapland for the Tervola Winter Sculpting Competition.
The contest, held the first full week of February every year, brings the best snow sculptors from across Europe to carve blocks of compressed snow into stunning art pieces. More than 20,000 onlookers watch sculptors along the main streets of Tervola and by the shore next to the Tervola City Hall.
A sculpture takes about 10 to 100 hours, from conception to completion, depending on what they make.
While work is split between members, scaffolding surrounds the snow blocks throughout the week so sculptors can reach every inch of their piece, sometimes even straddling the top of the block to work up high. Sculptors use ice chippers to chop large amounts of snow off the block, chisels to create detail, remove small amounts of snow, sheetrock saws cut through thick parts of the snow, and machetes to develop curves and cut through small pieces. But in truth, no standard set of snow sculpting tools exists—teams bring everything from sandpaper and truss plates to ice fishing augers and hatchets to the snow fight.
Everyone can be part of the Snow Sculpting fight, family and friends or school teams, company staff, tour groups, no matter where you come from, and It's open to everyone. You can register here if you wish to participate will advise you with details.
Event Category
Family Activities, Friends Bonding Activities, School Teamwork Education, Company Staff Team Building, Outdoor Activities
Venue
Tervola City Center , Tervola Lapland Finland
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