Cast Ice Tubes in Snowscape

ICE POLE INSTALLATION

Weisman Art Museum Minneapolis, MN

Description:

Ice Pole was commissioned by the Weisman Art Museum for the opening of the 2014 photo exhibition Siberia: Imagined and Reimagined. Sited at the entrance to the museum, the installation served as an ice bar during the opening night, and a slowing changing winter scene that delighted campus walkers and museum visitors well into the spring.

Ice Pole is a landscape of ice and snow, with ice forms custom-made for varied social interaction and visual effect. Ice tubes of varying height create a continuous surface guiding program and movement across the snow, while large and small cylinders provide moments of rest through table top and sitting surfaces.

The installation was custom-fabricated with a team of students over the course of several weeks, and installed on site the day before the opening. Created outdoors in PVC tubing, Minnesota cold was utilized as a conceptual vehicle, building strategy, and guide for the life cycle of the installation.

Role:
Faculty Lead; Designer, Builder in collaboration with students

Generate a Shared Vision

Come Up With a Plan

Let it evolve.

Make a Frame

Fill Tubes With Water

We used plastic caps to hold the water in.

Let the Water Freeze

Don't Let a Spill Slow You Down

The weight of the tubes with water is tremendous. Make sure your framing can take lateral loads.

Warm Up the Tubes

To speed up the process, you could use a heat gun, but we decided heating pvc tubes is not healthy! So we just let them sit inside for 10-45 minutes to warm up.

Get the Ice Out of the Tube

This is easier said than done. A few tubes would slip right out, but most don't. It's easier if you take off the tube cap, and use a stick to push the ice out from the back. There will be some water, so you'll want to be in an area that can get wet. We placed the tube and ice on foam, so it was less likely to break as it came out.

Marvel at Some Perfect Casts

Stockpile the Tubes

Repeat Until Hundreds of Tubes Are Cast

Love the Misfits

Experiment With Other Molds

We tried a variety of other plastic containers for other shapes, like this large garbage can. It worked great for standing tables, but they were heavy!

Have a Mop on Hand

Prepare the Site

Transport to the Site

Compose in Snow

We used a plastic sheet as a base, arranged the tubes how we wanted, secured them, created a snow barrier around the tubes, then poured in water and let it freeze into ice to create a sturdy base.