Icy Art in Millennium Park

By Margaret Lyons in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 1, 2007 10:42PM

There's a November-y chill in the air already, and the rolling out of Christmas decorations drives home the fact that winter is rapidly approaching. This year, Jack Frost is bringing more than just snow and seasonal affective disorder, though: Canadian artist Gordon Halloran is building a enormous ice sculpture in Millennium Park. Halloran's piece, "Paintings Below Zero," will be unveiled February 1, and will be a 95-foot long, 12-foot tall wall of pigmented panels of ice. It'll be on the Chase Promenade behind the Bean for prime reflective beauty. According to the Trib,

Nature also contributes, literally and metaphorically, to the fluidity.

As the surface evaporates, pigments migrate to the exterior, altering the crystal structure and creating new patterns. Snowflakes can add new dimensions.

Adding a coat of warmed clear water can polish the surface. Cooled water can freeze or seal in a newly created pattern.

Sounds cool. Get it? Cool? Ice? Oh, we slay ourselves. You can see the full-sized image here. Halloran will also be designing an ice painting in the ice rink, which will probably look like his previous "skating on the painting" works.

The City is calling the installations the Museum of Modern Ice, which is cute and catchy, and the Trib has dubbed the ice wall portion "the Popsicle."