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This article was published on January 3, 2012

Giant ice typography on the shores of Lake Ontario


Giant ice typography on the shores of Lake Ontario

Nicole Dextras, an environmental artist working in a multitude of media including sculpture, interactive public installation and photography, has created the most beautiful typographic ice sculptures. Each letter is formed by massive wooden frames, which are pumped with water and then left to freeze for two weeks. Afterwards, the ice is revealed as the frames are removed.

For anyone passionate about type, it’s hard to not be impressed by Dextras’ work. Her sculptures range widely in size, style and purpose, even employing color and objects in the process. This series is reminiscent of Stefan Sagmeister’s work with quotes: “Trying to look good limits my life.”

Check out all of the photos of View, or take a peak at the entire series: Resource, Legacy, Signs of Change, Municipal Mind, View Points and In/Flux.

More from the artist:

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The Ice Typography series consists of three-dimensional words fabricated in ice placed outdoors that speak to how the viewer’s gaze frames and informs the landscape. The installations have varied from 8-foot high ice letters on the Yukon River to 18-inch high letters set in downtown Toronto. When the ice texts are installed on site, the temperature determines how long it will take for them to change state from solid to liquid. This phase of transition becomes symbolic of the interconnectedness of language and culture to the land as they are affected by time and by a constant shifting and transforming nature.

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