The sound of chainsaws can be heard across the Brink in Orvelte this afternoon. Two heavily bundled men work large blocks of ice into a work of art. Joseph and Mary watch from the nativity scene and midwinter horn blowers provide the musical accompaniment.
Dozens of people pause to watch what is happening. “I can’t make anything of it yet,” says one. “Would it be a bear?”, another wonders. Only after more than an hour of sawing does it become clear to most people what it will be.
“We were like: it has to be a sheep,” says Anton Bardie of the organization. “A beautiful Schoonebeeker or a Drenthe heath sheep. But that is a bit boring. That is why we chose a bird.” The two ice sculptors, or ice carvers as Bardie calls them, choose a bird of prey.
“Those arches are the wings and that point becomes its face,” ice chopper Niels Bouwers explains. “His tail is of course at the back and then he dives straight down.” It is not a difficult task for him and his colleague. They participate with the Dutch team in international competitions and will be at the Winter Olympics at the ice sculpture festival in Milan in February.
“You have to be especially careful not to saw away what you need later,” he says, laughing. “If you saw away the good parts, a beautiful image will remain.”
While the two men have fun with chainsaws, the children who came to watch are also allowed to give it a try. They fanatically chop blocks of ice with small hammers and chisels. “It went well, it’s not that difficult at all,” says Sofie. “Only sometimes it is difficult when you get pieces of ice in your eyes.” Even though they work the ice with their bare hands, they don’t feel cold. “No, that’s not too bad,” says Leda. “You only get cold hands if you have to hold it for a long time.”
And while the children hack away at random, the bird of prey acquires more and more details. A few hours later the artwork is finished. And if it stays around freezing tonight, the bird can still be admired tomorrow morning.