Ice Art a Hot Hit with Singaporeans

“It’s freezing!” Not exactly words one would expect to hear in sunny Singapore, but the same words were on the lips of every visitor to the Ice Art exhibition.

The exhibition is housed in a huge warehouse located near the Marina Bay Sands hotel, and although most wouldn’t think twice before walking past the nondescript location, those who venture closer will find themselves pleasantly surprised.

As Singapore’s first ice sculpture exhibition, Ice Art certainly sets the bar high – 25 ice-carving experts were flown over from Harbin, China to create exquisitely detailed clear and coloured ice sculptures from 450,000 kilogrammes of ice blocks.

25-year-old Angeline Teo has not visited the exhibition, but admits she is looking forward to doing so. “It’s the first time I’ve heard of such a thing in Singapore and it’s something special. Being someone who has never seen real ice sculptures, I think it would be a very nice experience, definitely something to try.”

But what prevents the experts’ masterpieces from melting, especially in Singapore’s unique mix of humidity and heat? The Ice Art exhibition has a clever solution – they use advanced refrigeration technology from Germany to cool the room, bringing the indoor temperature to a low of -15 degrees Celsius.

The extreme difference in temperature means that visitors are bundled like brightly-coloured Eskimos, having loaned winter coats from the registration counter outside.

But the extreme cold also raises the question: Will Singaporeans take it well, or will it be too cold for them?

According to Angeline, the cold won’t be a problem.

“I think the older people might avoid it because they might think it’s too cold, but to young people it’s a one-time thing, so we might as well give it a try. I think it’s a good idea to pay for this experience instead of forking out thousands of dollars to fly overseas to experience cold weather.”

Agreeing with her is 31-year-old Ken, who visited the exhibition with his girlfriend. The bank accountant said: “It’s an interesting event to have in Singapore, since it’s hot and sunny here most of the time.”

But he adds that some improvements can be made: “I think it’d be great if they could expand the exhibition and make it bigger, maybe add more sculptures.”

The Ice Art exhibition is located at Sheares Link, Bay Front Avenue, and is open from 10am to 10pm daily till May 2014.