Chinese ice festival melts
Jerusalem hearts By Pierre
Klochendler
JERUSALEM - In a first in
years, snow blessed the Holy City last month. For
a moment, hail metamorphosed into a paltry
three-millimeter layer of white, liquid, light.
Children and parents and snowmen relished the
wonders of an almost real, though usually
ephemeral, winter. But then, the Ice Age befell
Jerusalem ...
Israelis like to sing of the
disputed city, "Jerusalem of gold, bronze and
light". For two months this spring, as clouds
disperse and evaporate in the land of eternal
sunshine, the city is not only gold, bronze and
light, but ice.
Some 30 ice sculptors have
been flown in especially from China. "We brought
in our finest team from Harbin, a very faraway
place with a long history and a rich culture,"
says Bai Liang proudly. "These artists have at
least 15 years of experience. Since it's our
first time in Jerusalem,
we have to be on our best."
Assisted by
local artists, the Chinese masters have designed
and installed the first international festival of
sculptures on ice in a covered space near the
disused train station located close to the old
no-man's-land that used to divide the city into
Jewish and Arab sectors before Israel captured
East Jerusalem in the 1967 war.
"We
exchanged ideas, plans and sketches with Israeli
artists in order to reach a tight concept that
integrates the local culture and architecture in
our creations," explains Liang, the exhibition
director.
With hundreds of tons of ice,
walls have been erected carefully, one ice block
at a time. Within one month of hard work, a palace
of wonders, a frosty replica of Jerusalem of Ice,
came to light - "Ice City".
"Temperatures
are low, ice is heavy," ice sculptor Liu Qi
acknowledges as he supervises the lifting of a
replica of a limestone of the walled Old City. "An
ice sculpture artist has to be in good physical
condition, resistant to cold. And, knowledge of
the art is certainly critical."
At a cosy
10 degrees Celsius below zero (minus 14 degrees
Fahrenheit), life is a fairy tale when coats are
received on entrance to the site. So, dress
warmly, enter a world of ice and misty lights.
"The people here are interested in snow
entertainment and ice. We're happy to bring
happiness," says Qi while now combing a
reproduction of a flying camel with a special
metal rake.
Visitors pass through a
replica of Jaffa Gate, one of the seven opened
monumental gates to the Old City.
The
exhibition grounds feature historical monuments
such as the Ottoman walls built in the 16th
century during the rule of Sultan Suleiman the
Magnificent; the Tower of David, a citadel
originally raised above earlier fortifications in
the second century BC; the Montefiore Windmill
built in 1857 and designed as a flour mill, but
actually unproductive due to a lack of winds.
Qi saws another square chunk of
translucent ice. Vapors of frost sprinkle his
face. Though it breaks up easily, ice stands for
unity, purity, and strength.
If the
infamous monster - the "Golem" molded in cement by
French sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle - is a
favorite Jerusalem playground, the amiable beast
in its frozen version offers an even more slippery
slide.
"No, I've never seen such beauty
before," six-year old Iris shakes her head from
left to right. "Yes," she nods - she simply loves
it.
"The colorful ice sculptures are made
with food coloring. It doesn't matter if kids
taste the popsicles-like sculptures," smiles
Liang.
Jewish and Arab schoolchildren can
be seen playing side by side. In Ice City, the
walls are emblazoned with two interlaced peace
doves. Co-existence seems no arctic mirage.
Meander in the ice forest; wander around
the fairy tales of your childhood; encounter ice
figurines from the Wizard of Oz - the Scarecrow
and the Tin Man and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Cinderella, the little glass slipper is
metamorphosed into a little glacial slipper. The
pumpkin transformed into the golden carriage is
transformed into an ice carriage; mice are frozen
into horses.
Not just children marvel at
the sculptures. The attraction emulates ice
festivals in Harbin, China, or Bruges, Belgium.
Like their equivalents around the world, Ice City
draws people from around the world.
"They
do this in China? That's cool!" exclaims a young
tourist from Chicago ostensibly in awe of a
menacing black bear adorned with an emerald glint.
"My wife gave me a present for my birthday
and brought me here," explains Tomer Gur-Arieh, a
Jerusalemite.
But all this shimmering
world of crystal and diamonds is pure evanescence.
These metamorphoses, of pandas, of
giraffes and camels - even the lion king, the
city's emblem - will surely melt away. Don't
worry, next year, we'll be back, assures the
Chinese team.
"They're very satisfied with
our work," confirms Liang, "especially Mayor of
Jerusalem Nir Barkat; he came here five times; he
was shocked by the ongoing change." At the March 6
opening, Barkat maladroitly hailed the ice
festival as a "cultural revolution".
"Never cast a thread until April is dead,
Never cast a clout, until May be out" has never
been so true here - the "cultural revolution"
heralded by the Israeli Mayor will have to be
watered down on the last day of April.
"We're talking about further cooperation,"
says Liang. "We've signed a five-year contract to
bring ice sculptures back to Jerusalem."
In the meantime though, to add a glow to
cold cheeks you might want to have a drink on the
rocks at the local ice bar ...
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