When it comes to live carving, the process, pricing and experience is a little bit different than ordering a pre-made sculpture.
The process of live carving, naturally, means the sculpture is done without the aid of computer programmed drills. That means logos and text are a lot more difficult to achieve. With a live carving you’re more likely to see animals like swans, polar bears, or dolphins than you are company logos, because a company logo is better carved with technology. What the CNC can’t do however is the type of 3D sculpture you would see in a live carving. Setting up a live carving is a lot more work, as it requires the transport of full 300 pound blocks of ice. With a pre-carved sculpture, it’s pre-cut into pieces for easier transport, and a lot of the weight of the ice is already cut off. That just isn’t an option with live carving, because you’re signing up for the whole experience.
When we price live carving, we take into account the artist’s time as well as the cost of ice. We book for a minimum of two hours, and the price is broken down into an hourly rate, price per block, and a delivery charge. With a pre-made sculpture, we approach it differently.
The experience itself is what sets live carving apart from pre-made sculptures. With a pre-made sculpture you’re getting a finished product to display, with live cariving, the process is what you’re paying to see. You’ll have the opportunity to witness from start to finish what goes into the creation of an ice sculpture. It’ll start off with just a simple outline drawn into the ice with an ice pick, traced out with a grinder for better visibility, followed by everyone’s favourite part, the chainsaw. Once the block is cut up into a rough outline of what the finished sculpture will be, you will get to enjoy watching the artist meticulously work away on the fine details and shaping of the sculpture, slowly turning a simple 3 foot block of clear ice into whatever it is you want it to be.
Viewing a live carving is a far more casual experience than some performances. With a live carving, odds are you are not going to watch for 2 hours straight while the artist does their thing, it’s just not that type of entertainment. Rather you’d probably watch for a few minutes, ask some questions, interact with the artist, then go have a drink and socialize. Periodically you’ll stop by and be able to see the progress. Live carving is designed to be a fun and interactive experience, it’s very unique to be able to see the entire process from start to finish, and will give you an entirely different appreciation for the art form. After you’ve experienced a live carving first hand, when you hear people say that ice sculptures are “made from a mold”, you’ll have all the knowledge necessary to be able to correct them. People love being corrected.