Diwali & drawings on a napkin

It's happening here on the Sunshine Coast! up at Allan May's where the structure to hold the Ice Gate is being constructed.


It's an exercise in discovery: they're making the wall and will dismantle prior to rebuilding it at Richmond's City Hall - and in the process find out any unforseen details prior to the final approval of the design.



Check it out: here is (almost) the length of the Ice Gate !



Sandi Swanigan was our hero at a meeting with the City of Richmond, where David, Ann, Alan, Gord, Doug and even Ari (on the phone) were present.


We covered accommodation, cold storage space, budget, and other essential topics in the wake of Ann Phelps' absence, and now we're back on track. I still can't wait to meet Ted Townsend.

Here are some pics of our adventures; an excellent restaurant with every kind of vegetarian curry; that's Gord and Allan drawing on a napkin.


They're always at it, penning in new details, sorting out the creation of the wall structure. It's going to embody the word "skookum" as far as I can tell.


Here's a tardy pix from Allan's camera: unloading the container prior to loading it up to go to the Sunshine Coast.


Had our first rehearsal of Performance for Ice Gate in Sechelt's Seaside Center. Check it out:
www.icegatedance.blogspot.com

Improvisation!

We're setting up an Ice Gate Central on the coast where we'll build the first section of the free-standing freezing wall with a very capable Allan May. In Richmond, our Production Manager, Ari Lazer, is on the hustle for the freezer/cold storage space.


Meanwhile, luckily there is something absolutely joyful happening to distract us all - Performance for Ice Gate. We had our first rehearsal last Sunday, and gathered in Frank West Hall in Gibsons. Keep up with the dancers, choreographers, the fun at:

PERFORMANCE FOR ICE GATE BLOG:
www.icegatedance.blogspot.com

Scaffolding & Dance

Scaffolding has arrived on the coast and we’re setting up at Allan May’s place. JC reports back on newly manufactured trays to hold the new ice configuration;


Here they are, only 4 were successfully constructed with no ‘wrinkles’. Gord designed one for aluminium and a local metal studio created a shiny new prototype for the now-taller cookie cutter form.



Performance for Ice Gate had its 2nd Call for Participation. Check out the fun at www.icegatedance.blogspot.com

Catching up

From Chicago, the final tally: Over 176,000 visitors came to Millennium Park in the bitter winter to see Gordon Halloran’s Ice Wall.


And in the end, Museum of Modern Ice garnered 1.8 million dollars of free publicity with Paintings Below Zero on Chase Promenade.


On October 3rd we took the ferry to the mainland and finally signed the letter of agreement with the City of Richmond for The Ice Gate at the Olympic Oval. We’ve been working on getting this gig – meetings, emails, presentations -- for probably two years. Good things take time.

There is a sign on Ann Phelps door which says: “Good, fast, cheap – pick two”.


Here she is with Gord just after the contract was signed. She’s probably making some kind of zany joke. Her straight man delivery is impeccable.

Here’s what our press release says:

"Gordon Halloran, the B.C. artist who invented the new art form of paintings made in ice, Paintings Below Zero, has been recently commissioned to create a monumental installation for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The City of Richmond, which hosts the Speed Skating Oval has contracted with Halloran to create an enormous “Ice Gate” at the entrance to the Oval for the duration of the games.

"This dramatic installation in ice will serve as a stunning visual tribute to Canada, the City of Richmond and the Province of British Columbia throughout the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

"Made with a uniquely Canadian art form, Paintings Below Zero, The Ice Gate will be the largest installation the artist has created to date, measuring over 100 feet long and 14 feet in height.

"Inspired by a glacial wall in its final stages of movement toward the ocean, the installation will evolve over time with natural and planned changes, encouraging visitors to return frequently to observe the activity.

"The installation, enormous in scale yet intricate in detail, will reveal stunning patterns created by the interaction of pigment with the crystal structure of the ice."


Kiri McLeod helped midwife the contract, wrestling it from the lawyer’s office and delivering it to us numerous times and back again. Here she is with marketing assistant David Chinn, in front of a map of the “O” zone. This is where it all going to happen, come the big two weeks in February of you-know-when.

Then on November 5th, with 464 days left to countdown to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Inniskillin Wines, an Official Wine Supplier, officially launched the exclusive Inniskillin Vidal Icewine Commemorative Edition in Vancouver.


"Each commemorative bottle features the stunning artwork of Canadian artist Gordon Halloran, who made his Olympic debut with his Paintings Below Zero installation as Canada's official representative at the Cultural Olympiad of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. Using ice as his canvas, Halloran paints spectacular abstract images that, like Inniskillin Icewine, have garnered worldwide acclaim." A portion of the proceeds from every bottle sold will support the Canadian Olympic team and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.


Here's Gord with Scott Starra from Inniskillin Wines with Deidra Dionne and Steve Omischl, who are each two-time Olympic competitors. At the Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Winter Games, Dionne captured a bronze medal.

Last weekend we went into the city to meet with Rafael Santa Ana of Studio Elemental. He and Gord discussed architectural elements of the design for The Ice Gate.


News from the crew: Jaz Halloran finished his design project for the Diwali Festival, and we caught up with him next to one of the posters he designed - on display all over the city of Vancouver.


Production Supervisor Tim Furness & crew Jaz Halloran unpacked ice equipment from storage to a new ice studio on the Sunshine Coast. Two days later here he is, bon voyage, Tim!



Photo credits: Hamid Attie (Inniskillin photos) and Caitlin Hicks