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Q: How can you call ice “art,” when it melts?
A: Art is evanescent, the medium, fleeting. Paintings crack and fade. Sculptures crumble. Books yellow and burn. Present today, passé tomorrow. Even the sun, in mid-life, has an ending, as does the Earth in orbit. What lasts? What remains, while all else fades? The effect of art on us. Eternity is elusive, but it exists in this: the wisdom, the effect of a thing of beauty or suffering or spirit, of an event momentous and moving. More than memory, it is the permanent movement of the vista widening, the soul searing, the tragedy and elation of a forever feeling belonging to a present time and a present sense that is already slipping. Ice expresses art in everything it is and yet cannot be. It melts, evolves, and transforms itself on a time scale we can perceive. All art fades; true art lives in each moment of its fading, and lasts only insofar as it imparts its effect to each of us. Ice is a true medium of art, encapsulating the living and dying of a thing of beauty. Ice sculpture, in belonging to one night or a day or an hour or two, has neither permanence nor final form, but because of this lives on in the infinite ownership our eternal response.
Q: Have your sculptures ever caused damage at an event?
A: No. Our sculptures are safe. They have never fallen, leaked or caused floor damage over twenty years and thousands of events. This is a point of pride for Okamoto Studio. Takeo and Shintaro personally carve each sculpture and supervise every installation with expertise and perfection. To prevent collapse, they rely on design skill and customized table supports. To prevent leakage, they use only ice trays that they designed, engineered, and built themselves, with customized lighting and drainage systems. An Okamoto Studio ice sculpture will never fall or leak of its own accord; however, we cannot guarantee accidents caused by circumstances beyond our control.
Q: How much do your sculptures cost?
A: The price of our sculptures varies according to the simplicity or complexity of diverse design elements, delivery details, and particulars important to each client. Our signature sculptures typically begin at $500 to $750 per block (300 lbs, 40x20x10"). This price includes delivery, installation and removal of each piece, and usually involves close collaboration with Takeo and Shintaro in the form of site visits, meetings, research, and the blueprint preparation of a range of options.
Q: My event is outside New York City. Can you ship my sculpture?
A: Each of our sculptures is carefully packed, delivered, and personally assembled by Takeo or Shintaro to preserve fine detail, and to guarantee safe installation. Over longer than standard distances, additional precautions must be taken such as the use of refrigerated units or dry ice. Over very long distances, we have on occasion rented freezer and ice sculpting facilities from local hotels and arrange for delivery services. These alternate arrangements require special planning, and incur additional costs.
Q: Would you be willing to use fresh flowers on my sculpture?
A: Absolutely. We love the artistic challenge flower work presents, and admire the effect of embedding or placing flowers in ice. However, we cannot be responsible for the delivery, quality, or effect of flowers.
Q: May I come to observe you at work? May I work for you?
A: We love to accommodate other ice sculptors and enjoy meeting visitors from around the world, and we are always the lookout for talented individuals to join our team. We accept resumes from potential employees with previous experience in artistic fields.
Q: Do you teach classes or workshops?
A: We have held classes and workshops on-demand. Please contact us to discuss this possibility.
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