The London Ice Sculpture Festival promised much, but was slow getting going on the day we went. But getting there early meant that Ricky (and I) had a go at chiselling a (slightly preformed) block of ice into a polar bear before giving it up to the next ‘masterclass’ candidates and the sun. The previous day’s sculptures had melted overnight, so couldn’t be viewed.
Elsewhere most of the huge blocks for the international teams (Africa, Belgium, France, Hungary, Ireland, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom & USA) were still wrapped in tarpaulin, but Belgium were active and chopping with chainsaws.
‘Best ever’ hot chocolate and the subsequent train expedition (Bakerloo line to the end, fish-and-chips in Harrow and Wealdstone) made the underwhelmingness of the ice less important. Eventual winners of the carving competition – Africa. Pretty good, given how hard it must be to get the practice in. Here’s their working drawing.
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