The Ice Hotel (Revisited)!

In Jukkasjärvi, Sweden,  a tiny little town 200 km north of the Arctic Circle, the  ICE HOTEL  art project-come-hotel is more than two decades old. It's an incredible work of art that is recreated each season, and, embodying impermanance, literally melts away in the spring.  If you lived in Tucson, Arizona, in August, you'd be dreaming of a lovely, restful night at the Ice Hotel too.  Since it's a normal day of about 105 outside right now, I figure it's time to revisit this beautiful, and enduring, work of continually changing art!  Visit the WEBSITE  for an in-depth look at this extraordinary place.............

Chapel for weddings

The Ice Hotel - 25 Years!

"Creativity is our lifeblood. Every winter for almost 25 years ICEHOTEL rises again and every time with brand new art and design. It’s about being inspired by ice as a material – our imagination is constantly challenged and so is our vision of art.  Our hotel is more than rooms and beds; it is an art project made of snow and ice that is totally unique. At ICEHOTEL we work with frozen water from Torne River. Rising from the lake Torneträsk, Torne River is one of the few rivers in Europe that has not been used for industrial purposes and is therefore a unique source. Its natural beauty and special history is an inspiration to us and is something we believe can never be found in artificial ice."

Here's a wonderful work of art (that you can sleep in or drink in or get married in too) that is being constructed (again) right now in Sweden - the wonderful "Ice Hotel"!  To learn more about this renewable work of art, visit their website:   http://www.icehotel.com/art-and-design/art-at-icehotel/.

What could possibly be more magical?  It's like the Snow Queens palace brought to life and form - how I would love to see this year's Hotel under the Aurora Borealis. 

Art takes shape

The construction period at ICEHOTEL takes place between October and December each year. It takes approximately eight weeks to finish the construction of the hotel (and six weeks of work before and after this period). It requires about 1,000 tonnes of frozen water and about 30,000 m3 of “snice” (snow and ice; ice particles from Torne River mixed with air. “Snice” resembles snow in that it is white and used for insulation, but structurally it is stronger and purer than just snow.)
The art of ICEHOTEL is created in sections and each artist spends their time here in intervals. During the last week before the hotel opening all 40 artists spend time in the hotel together. 

Each room is filled with the right amount of snow and ice, using a cutting list and calculations based on the drawings from the artists. Eight weeks later ICEHOTEL is ready and the river has turned into a work of art.  The rooms and hallways are built in a classic oval shape, which is the strongest construction shape due to its self-supporting nature. It is especially noticeable when the hotel melts – instead of collapsing, the roof and walls just become gradually thinner until the sun cracks through.
ICEHOTEL opens its gates for visitors in December. During the following four months the hotel and art exhibition will attract around 50,000 people from around 80 different countries.