UNESCO Ice Workshop Offered for Sale

BRUGES, Belgium, January 7, 2011 - The internationally-renowned Ice Sculpture Festival will be open to the
public in Bruges until Sunday, 16 January 2011. But this does not mean the
end - because this treasure-trove of magical ice art is being offered for
sale in its entirety to other potential partners and city administrations
around the world. This is the very first time that these ice masterpieces
will not be melted down at the end of the festival, but will be given a
second life in a new location. Negotiations are already underway with various
capital cities and the final choice of venues will be made in the middle of
January.

The Bruges Snow and Ice Festival is a unique event of its kind and for
many years has been one of the world's most frequently visited public art
attractions. The chosen theme for this current edition - the tenth - was 'A
Journey Around the World'. This journey allowed visitors to marvel at the
most important Unesco monuments, the great natural wonders of the world and
the leading figures in history, all created in different types of ice and
snow at a temperature of - 6 degrees C.

The tenth anniversary of the festival in Bruges - with its highly
exclusive Unesco theme - has been an exceptional success. The ice-cold
journey of discovery leads through more than 30 countries on five different
continents. There are various anatomical works by Michelangelo and Leonardo
da Vinci, but also statues from Greek mythology. Great cultural and religious
figures such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, Ganesha, Shiva, Mozart, Strauss and
Bach are also on display. In all, no fewer than 74 ice sculptures have been
crafted by the most famous ice artists from around the globe. The gigantic
Unesco ice workshop was hewn from 400 tons of crystal-clear ice blocks. For
the sculpting of the figures, 30 professional artists were selected from 11
different countries. The preparations for the festival took five weeks to
complete.

These icy treasures are currently being preserved at a constant
temperature of minus 6 degrees Celsius under a roof with a special thermal
steel construction. Use is also being made of an 'intelligent' cooling
system, which can be remotely controlled at distance by sms. A haulage firm
specialising in large and exceptional loads is available for the shipping and
transportation of the statues. Sea transport in ships with specially cooled
holds is a possible option. In fact, this will probably be the largest ice
transportation in history! The huge ice sculptures measure up to 6 metres in
height and each weigh between 4 and 8 tons.

The likely cost for the dismantling, transport and reassembly of the
festival is estimated at a quarter of a million euros - an investment which
it should be possible to recover through the interest already being shown by
other European cities. This must be a realistic possibility given the
exceptional quality festival, which during the past five weeks in Bruges has
welcomed no fewer than 150,000 visitors.

"During the past ten years we have employed hundreds of artists, working
with sand in the summer and ice in the winter. In view of the high level of
involvement and commitment with the Unesco theme, this winter we have chosen
only the very best artists. It would therefore be a great shame if the
largest ice museum in the world is soon allowed to melt into oblivion,"
concludes Alexander Deman, the organiser of this initiative.

Further information can be obtained from the press centre at the
festival.

www.zimbio.com/pictures/FscpD2UyGXf/Snow+Ice+Sculpture+Festival

www.360vt.be/vt_icesculpture2010/

Contact: Alexander Deman, +32(0)50-200-465, info at sculpturefestival.be