Sculptor Mark Coreth captures the essence of the Arctic in the form of a life-sized ice-sculpture of a polar bear for Trafalgar Square. As it melts, it leaves a skeleton, a pool of water and a powerful environmental message.
Direction
Patient observation of inevitable decay.
Production
Public art confronting commuters daily.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a 2009 WWF campaign; similar ice sculptures appeared in Copenhagen and Ottawa, but Trafalgar Square's foot traffic made this the most documented melt.
Coreth chose bronze skeleton specifically so the 'death' would feel permanent and museum-worthy, not dismissed as temporary slush.