N'ice and easy does it at ice carving contest

N'ice and easy does it at ice carving contest

By William Furney

JAKARTA (JP): Anyone who has read Paul Theroux's Riding the
Iron Rooster, by train through China will know of the wonders of
Harbin, the algid Chinese city where remarkable ice sculptures
remain all winter long.

This was not the case, however, last Wednesday when teams from
hotels around Jakarta gathered under the blazing sun in the
Karaoke Hall of Hotel Bumi Karsa, Jl. Gatot Subroto, South
Jakarta. There were no aging depictions in ice here, for the
midday sun saw to it that their lifespans lasted about 10
minutes.

Amid the sounds of crashing sculptures and ever-increasing
melting waters, despite the efforts of hotel staff to suck it up,
ice professionals beavered away with saws fit enough to fell the
largest of trees. Soon though, from the rigid blocks of ice they
started off with, emerged shapes of fantasy: birds of paradise,
exotic fish and tigers.

This was the third Hotel Human Resources Manager Association
(HHRMA) Ice Carving Competition, usually an annual event but due
to the ongoing economic crisis and prevalent demonstrations,
there was none last year.

As the carvers, from hotels including The Hilton, Grand Hyatt
Jakarta, Hotel Borobudur, The Gran Melia and The Shangri-La, were
whittled down and those remaining took up their knives for the
final heat, a panel of judges carefully monitored their every
slice of ice. With an hour to fashion a creation, they worked
non-stop in the hope of winning a prize medal, some occasionally
slipping on the waters streaming down below them.

"We're looking for something original; if you walked past it
in a hotel, you'd stop and say 'that's amazing'", said one of the
judges, Patrick Marty, executive chef at the Aston Atrium Hotel
on Jl. Senen Raya, South Jakarta.

"The criteria for judging include the technique the carvers
use, the degree of difficulty and whether they complete the
sculpture within the allotted time of one hour," he explained.

As Patrick was speaking a sculpture of two fish collapsed
behind him, "I don't think that one will do well," he exclaimed,
pointing out that after the sculptures had been completed, they
had to stand for at least 10 minutes. "There were fissures in
that one which caused it to collapse. It wasn't strong enough."

Indeed, when the final heat was over and the carvers stood
back to admire their work, to the applause of those gathered
around, some sculptures were so delicately balanced that they
soon disintegrated. One of the most outstanding pieces of work
had two carved birds attached at right angles to a column of ice.
But unlike the real thing, however, the birds soon fell to the
ground.

But fear not, the next time you are lunching in a restaurant
of a five-star hotel. The sculptures adorning presentations are
frozen overnight in a deep freezer, according to one of the
sculptors, who is a carver at a hotel in Jakarta. The cool air in
such restaurants keeps the pieces from toppling and destroying
both the food and the clothes of guests.

But the Karaoke Hall of the Bumi Karsa is not equipped with
air-conditioning, as one side is open to the outside, thus not
ensuring longevity for the ice sculptures.

After a period of deliberation, the judges (they took longer
than expected as the decision, they said, was difficult) returned
and announced the winners. Satria Effendi of the Sheraton Bandara
took the gold medal with his creation Urban Bird, Masruri, from
the Gran Melia walked off with the silver for Grouper Fish, and
from the Grand Hyatt, Haryo was awarded the bronze medal for a
piece titled Harmony.

As the winners stood beside their minuscule creations -- which
had by now melted into something resembling the twisted face of a
gargoyle -- photographers and television camera crews shot and
rolled tape while negotiating pools of water.

A remarkable show of skill, determination and a battle against
the odds (or rather the odd -- the sun), the competition gave a
glimpse into the world of icy creations. For the carvers, a spell
in Harbin would surely be a frozen dream come true. But for now,
the air-conditioned environs of their respective hotels will have
to suffice.