Icy Art

As a part of Science Gallery’s exhibition SUBMERGE, participants had an opportunity to create colorful prints with ice. The workshop was facilitated by Dorota Borowa, an artist based in Dublin, who is known for her work with fluid elements like water and ice.  

As participants lined up to collect the material - a wooden board with little holes, paint brushes and cups for mixing the paints, Dorota explained the process. The oil paints would be mixed in cups along with turpentine and spread over a wooden board. These boards would then be positioned on a level surface and ice is placed on top them. As the ice melts, it drips through the holes and leaves the artwork behind on the board.  

 The venue where the workshop was conducted, transformed into a medley of excited voices with people exchanging colors and ideas. Ice was passed around and participants got to choose different ice carved in shapes such cylindrical blocks and cubes along with irregular shaped pieces. As the ice was placed over the board, the oil paint drenched wooden blocks, the process began and a calm descended over the venue. 

Dorota describes her work as a balance between design and accident. Lakshmi, a participant, agrees “there are so many things that can happen here.” Indeed there are many factors - position of holes, choice of color and spread, ratio of color and turpentine, shape and placement of ice, how fast the ice melts – which can determine how the artworks turns out in the end. 

As the ice melted and transformed the blocks, patterns emerge - cracks, blotches, fractals and wiggly lines coming together in a beautiful mess of color. People discussed the evolving art as they walked around. The interpretations were varied, where someone saw a fish someone else saw an eye. Dorota had started off by calling the process meditative and as the workshop ended, this description rang true.       

By Nomaan, Mediator