Snow Sculpture from the Vermont State Snow Sculpting Champions

Monkey versus Robot

Well. We got together Saturday night and hashed it out. Honestly, I think I was feeling pretty nervous (or what passes as nervous for me). We had never really not reached a consensus this late into the process – but there we were – sitting around a table with a bunch of clay and sketchbooks (and a few brewskies) with no real clear idea. There were a few on the table and there were debates as to the merits and non-merits of one, then the other. Then all the other ideas fell away as this new idea came into play.

Monkey versus Robot. As many of you know it’s a song and an album from Burlington’s own super musical star James Kolchaka Superstar. In it he sings about the age old battle of our animal natures versus technology. We’ve listened to Monkey versus Robot and Hockey Monkey many many times when sculpting, so its sort of weird that we didn’t come up with the idea of sculpting something in that vein before.

In doing a little research there are many artists who touch upon these two icons to symbolize the tensions and torsions of our human natures in opposition to the technological advances of the modern age. Adrian had even said earlier, before we sat down to discuss the sculpture, that this was the theme of the Fantastic Mister Fox, a movie they had seen earlier that day. There is even an Iphone app! I do not know how my animal nature knows how to even deal with an Iphone app that pits technology versus animal nature!

So the sculpture now shows the robot with his ray-gun hand and the monkey with his banana-ray-gun. We will attempt to build the rays between them and the blast – where the two rays meet. At least that is the intention. So far the concepts that we have will not be possible at all if the weather is less then 75% perfect and I might even be lenient on that. There is also a bit of a snow moving job that goes along with this, utilizing the full scope of the 12 foot radius we are allowed to build out of the 8 foot diameter cylinder we get.

I’ve been pretty stoked to go and execute before, but I got to say I feel really excited about this one. Sarah got me a monkey belt buckle for Christmas and I see it as sort of a sign that the timing is right.

Well… it’s been two years since we have won the Vermont State Snow Sculpting Championship – so I guess we were due. I have a longer story about the event itself and the changes it has gone through in the years – and how it have been an ice carving event for the past three years – but this year the weather was compliant and the UVM team that now puts the event together worked it our with Parks and Rec to build three snow blocks on the top of Church Street.

I was particularly stoked to get the topmost block, as it gave us the mostly uninterrupted photo opportunity for the sculpture with the big Church at the top of Church Street – an iconic image for the town, and here was our chance to play with it. So that chose the orientation of the sculpture for us.

The weather was good. 5 or so until Saturday (judging at 11am) where it started warming up to the 40s. The snow was very very dry and airy, but packed to perfection by Parks and Rec. They really went all out for us – not one pocket of popcorny snow or anything.

There were only two other teams. One made a big train – which was quite immpressive – but did not incorporate any negative space – and one was called “And they say there is no life on mars” which had a ball with some reliefs of animals on it. Definitely conceptual! But again – we were the only ones who put some air between the snow.

So we won. I feel great about making an awesome piece – but I would have to say the competition this year wasn’t really all that competitive. And I look forward to challenges – so…

Lake Geneva, 2010 here we come!

Here are the three blocks. It’s like 5 below!!! We get about 26 hours!!!

Here it is – more soon. The long and short of it was that Dave “the ripper” Rothstein, Brooke “the secret weapon” Monte, Alex “whatever it takes’ Dostie, Zach “the eliminator” Landis, and Michael “the captain” Nedell rocked it out all night long, withstood the weather and the party-like atmosphere of Breckenridge and completed the peice titled “Blown Away” just as the ‘tools down’ countdaon began. More pics soon.

Blown Away Snow Sculpture

Here I am screwing around as we head into the long Friday night