Creativity embellished in ice carvings

By Rosanne Koelmeyer Anderson

‘Ability is a poor man’s wealth and being multi faceted is yet another. From a popular schoolboy rugby player and flanker he perused his A/Level in the engineering stream which spurred him to join NASA and work there for a short while.

With boredom soon taking the better of him he moved into advertising where his innate talent was put to best use.

Wanting to uncover the artistic genius in him, he thereafter became a self taught kitchen artist and went on to turning out awesome ice carvings for many hotels which has today taken him to greater dimensions: renowned for his great work; today he has brought much repute to Sri Lanka internationally.

W. G. Indika an employee of Hotel Galadari and the Colombo Hilton who became so superior in this fine art tied up with Hotel Rotana, a sister hotel in Abu Dhabi where he worked as the only kitchen artist for the hotel and began mesmerizing the hotel’s clientele with his very innovative new found career which gave him the impetus to secure the World’s 2nd and 3rd prizes too; the silver and bronze medals having excelled in the art at a recent exhibition held in the UAE.

This form of artistry is said to have originated in North China: a seasonal art also called ‘ice lanterns’ was part and parcel of early lifestyle where it was used to prevent lights from being blown out during winter.

The ice blocks during that time were hollowed and made to look lantern bulbs and used by the citizens of Harbin, the capital of the northernmost Heilongjiang Province who were said to have put on the first ice lantern show in the winter of 1963. As the skill of ice carving was being perfected, the art began to draw much attention as a breathtaking form of beautification.

‘Carving on ice is no easy task. Wearing proper gloves is an absolute necessity before beginning to cut the block of ice. The biting numbness in the fingers and hands is unbearable and it takes a good five to six hours to turn out these creations. Firstly you have to take the ice out from the cool room and keep it out for about two hours.

Thereafter, the ice has to be heated to 180 degrees centigrade after which the shape is roughly outlined with a special tool similar to a nozzle which alone costs approximately Rs. 50,000. After the ice carving is completed it is put back into the cool room until for a while before it is positioned for the occasion, Indika explained.

‘Once these hand carved sculptures and stunning moulds are tastefully designed to suit the occasion and its theme: placing it becomes equally important as this would determine how long it is going to last. If it is to be kept outdoors it would not last too long. But, it ought to last at least four to six hours for an occasion. The chefs give me a lot of encouragement’, Indika says.

An innovative design of a Vodka Bar which pours out a glass of Vodka for the guests was a unique creation which became much sought after and so did the creations for Valentine’s Day which were intricately turned out in red to suit the theme.

Apart from the ice carvings Indika also turns out salt, sugar and chocolate carvings depicting Sri Lankan culture, popular local handicraft like the Kandyan dancer’s masks, birds and animals and even significant places of interest like the ‘Pagoda’, the famous Japanese temple and ginger bread houses.

Indika with his creative touch which has fascinated many a visitor to date says his dream would be accomplished if he could embellish his creativity sailing the seas on a cruise liner or a yacht sooner or later.