Among the intricately carved sculptures at the Sapporo Snow Festival this year, three Dutch artists and a polar bear could be seen luring passersby with ribbon-wrapped blocks of compacted snow in an attempt to promote an alternative festival that makes better use of the city's most prominent resource.
"Every year thousands of tons of snow are shipped into Sapporo for the festival, but also thousands of people, machines and logistics are involved in the mass removal of snow from the city, and this serves no purpose other than mere displacement," said conceptual artist Kamiel Verschuren, who initiated the "Sapporo II Snow" project. "Our aim is to create a platform whereby the creative potential of snow can be explored by people, artists and cultural producers in the community."
Snow has long been used for such creative means during the annual snow festival, which has gained international acclaim since its inception in 1950, but "Sapporo II" organizers say there is limited grassroots involvement in the event, since the Self-Defense Forces play a major role.