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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Black Ice Sculptures....?

Ice Sculptures - Its black and white....

Black ice sculptures?.... Can you do it?... This is a question we have received in the past, and the simple answer is yes, under the right circumstances. Afterall we are the rainbow nation here in SA.


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The ice blocks that we produce at Ice Art for the ice sculpture creations is crystal clear and its the only quality of ice black that can be professionally used for ice sculptures, ice bars and other ice constructions as it is inherently strong and has no structural weak points like normal cracked, white ice, or dirty ice as we call it in the ice carving industry. This process that produces clear blocks however, does not allow the ice to be coloured with a dye in the production process to produce a red, or green or black block... These dyes are seen as impurities and are extracted from the water by the machines drive to deliver clear ice blocks as a finished product. Colour can however be inlayed within the ice sculpture during the carving process.


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Black ice sculptures can be best expressed through the placing of a black background behind the ice sculpture, and then using snow engravings and a white light, one can highlight the detail and definitions of the sculpture to produce a very effective two tonal, high contrast result. This approach is highly effective for shoots, such as pack shots where one can play with the lighting and angles.


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to visit our press office for more information in general please click here

When using this approach for ice sculptures one needs to make use of both carving and form sculptural technique combined with the snow engraved areas, otherwise the ice sculpture outline can be lost on the black background. Flat snowfill engravings can stand alone without sculptural elements as they produce the contrast by virtue of the white snow.

For more information please don't hesitate to contact us.

You can also visit our website here.

ice sculptures, ice sculpture, ice carving, ice carvings, ice bars, ice bar, functions, launches, parties, events, film shoots, pack shots, ice blocks...ice ice baby

Monday, March 23, 2009

Ice Art Tour - ice sculpture factory

For many years now, our clients have been asking us how it really happens at Ice Art behind the scenes. Who carves the ice sculptures, what tools do we use, where does all the ice come from... and so for the first time - here is a true to life behind the scenes tour of our ice sculpture factory...Enjoy.



For more information and details you can check out our website here or check out the Ice Art Press Office here.


ice sculptures, ice sculpture, ice carving, ice carvings, ice bars, ice bar, functions, launches, parties, events, film shoots, pack shots, ice blocks...ice ice baby

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Ice Sculpture video clip

Here is an excellent quick resource of information on ice sculptures and ice bars - This was an info clip shot at our factory last week and give some insight into the ice sculpture world! - Enjoy

Once you have watched the clip please visit our website or Press Office for extra information....

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Ice Sculptures - Elements trapped in ice

How clear?! .... That's the question we field on a regular basis. The quality of the ice produced at Ice Art is carving grade and is crystal clear, unlike normal ice which is opaque, dirty and fractured.

This clear ice, which is the only suitable ice for ice sculptures, is produced in 150kg blocks and does not simply look great, but it is also an extremely uniform structurally as there are no air or salts trapped in the ice. By virtue of this, elaborate shapes and designs can be carved without the flaking and cracking that you would find in normal ice. Ice sculptures in normal dirty ice don't just look terrible, they are limited in terms of the shapes that can be made and the melting time is much faster.

For more images of our work in this regard please visit our website here or our Press Office here

This also means that the ice sculptures melt very slowly and is very resistant to ambient temperatures... All ice sculptures hate wind and direct sun however! It takes a full four days to produce one block of clear ice, so a number of these blocks are produced on an ongoing basis to be able to provide the building demand year on year since 2003. Here are some good examples of products frozen in ice


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The fact that the ice is so clear means that certain products or objects can be frozen in, with dramatic and long lasting effect. Perfect for product display, or branding related showcasing. In the past a huge variety of objects have been frozen into the ice, or combined inside ice sculptures... sunglasses, bottles, fruit, wedding invites, cigarettes, Amazing Race clues, clothes, shoes, diamond jewellery, champagne bottles, car bumpers, real fish... just about anything can work...

Give us a call anytime - www.iceart.co.za

Or mail us on james@iceart.co.za

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Interactive Ice Sculptures

For the most part, an ice sculpture can stand alone as a feature, as purely a static decor item. The look and feel of the ice is unique enough to carry this off. Therefore ice sculptures of Logo's, animals, product replicas etc...can generate enough of an appeal all by their lonesome selves.

However, the fantastic thing about ice sculptures, and something we like to focus on at Ice Art is bring interactive elements into the mix when the function or event suits it. Ice sculptures can be made into Luge's for pouring shooters, or for a more permanent flow they can also double up as a drinks fountain with the liquid flowing through the ice sculpture and into a catch tray. Live ice carvings on site for guests is very entertaining, but even more so when we can actually pull out members of the guest party and let them assist us on the completion of the ice sculptures... normally towards the beginning so that there is less chance of them hacking off a crucial part of the almost finished sculpture!


live ice sculpture


Sculptures that chill bottles, or keep seafood or ice cream cold are great ways to make use of the ice sculptures temperature properties as well as its visual elements.


ice sculpture chest


Ice Bars for exanple, can easily be converted into a seafood station, or even an ice cream station - looks fantastic and serves an icy purpose too.

There are examples of this on our Press Office and our website - www.iceart.co.za

For more images and examples of these concepts please visit our press office - The SA Golf Open Ice golf ball shows a great example of a fountain, and the Vawter Ice Chest shows am excellent way to chill bottles and have them on display with branding at the same time ( see above image ). There is also an image below of the fountain.


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Of course, making use of the the cold temperature of the ice sculptures in South Africa is a must on many occasions as it can be extremely hot here during the summer season.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Ice Sculptures for Weddings

Start planning your Weddings for next season with Crystal Clear ice sculptures:

The purity of the Crystal Clear Ice goes perfectly with the shimmering white wedding occasion that they were essentially born to co-exist together on that special day… Check out more images here


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In South Africa many people have never been able to consider icesculptures as a décor element for their event and special day, but now Ice Art has that base covered, coupled with an extremely high level of skill and professional service to further enhance the pleasure of such an icesculpture on the day…


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For more information also see our press office here

http://www.bizcommunity.com/PressOffice.aspx?i=120562

The more traditional classic pieces like Swans, Harps and cherubs may still be common…but that trend is fast changing as people come to realise there is a far greater scope for exciting and dynamic wedding concepts in the ice carving field.

At Ice Art, we can supply interactive themed Carvings, LIVE Carvings, elements frozen in the ice and drinks / Champagne Luges to the wedding or reception. We can enhance traditional décor such as flowers, individual miniature themed table centrepieces and display items with a huge variety of options and even supply full Ice Bars, archways or Grecian pillars.

Ice Sculptures will last for more than 8 hours, looking good, if kept out of the sun and direct wind

The Ice looks absolutely fantastic and really makes the wedding unforgettable. I hope this gives you some food for thought, and I look forward to hearing from you, please feel free to visit our website at http://www.iceart.co.za

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