CURIOUS FIREFOX

AN ICE SCULPTURE

“Curious Firefox” is an ice sculpture carved on-site by renowned ice, snow, and sand sculptor Cliff Vacheresse. It will depict a Red panda reaching out to touch the beyond with its characteristic curiosity.

This piece will shine a light on the commendable work done by the Edmonton Valley Zoo on the recovery efforts of this mischievous species through their participation in the Red Panda Network.

This sculpture will be made from the purest representation of winter in our Northern community – ice and snow, and illuminated with color-changing LED lights, representing the Aurora Borealis.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

CLIFF VACHERESSE.

Cliff Vacheresse started his ice and snow carving career in 2011 by helping build slides and mazes for the Ice on Whyte (IOW) Festival in Edmonton, Alberta. As time passed, he gained enough experience to become the festival’s lead sculptor.

Cliff works full-time every winter, from November until March, planning, executing, and leading a team for festival builds for towns all over Alberta. His works have been featured at High Level’s Frostival, Grande Prairie’s Grande North Winter Festival, and Lake Louise’s Ice Magic.

In 2015, Cliff began sand carving and, in 2022, was invited to contribute to the ‘A World of Sand’ exhibit in Søndervig, Denmark.

This is Cliff’s fifth year contributing ice sculptures to Zoominescence. His previous masterpieces include Polarset and Reigning Light on the Caribou.

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TADA! THE RED PANDA

A RED PANDA LANTERN

Red pandas are on the endangered species list, with fewer than 10,000 remaining worldwide. However, thanks to the hard work of the Edmonton Valley Zoo, there are a few more than there otherwise would have been!

The Edmonton Valley Zoo participates in the Red Panda Network, resulting in 30 Red Panda Pups being born here in Edmonton! To celebrate this success, GABS has created TADA! The Red Panda— a fuzzy, glowing friend.

When threatened, Red Pandas rear up on their hind legs in order to look big and scare off predators, So Tada will be posed in a manner that would protect a real-life Red Panda…but she has a friendly smile to let you know she doesnʼt feel threatened by you, and only wants to play!

Tadaʼs body will be shaped into the Red panda’s iconic and adorably “threatening” hands-up pose, using recycled bamboo curtain, galvanized steel wire, and 3D printed parts. She will then be covered in old recycled bed sheets and faux fur to complete her ironically huggable appearance. Tada will glow a brilliant reddish-orange with white markings, making her impossible to miss!

Habitat loss is the main threat to the Red Panda’s survival. Bamboo, the habitat that protects real-life red pandas, will serve as a barrier to protect this illuminating piece.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

GABS.

GABS is an Edmonton-based artist well known for creating whimsical glowing creatures such as a 30 ft baby humpback whale and a life-sized 10 ft by 18 ft woolly mammoth, which is now on display at the Royal Alberta Museum. 

This is GABS’s third year attending Zoominescence. In 2022, she brought us Pan-glow-in, a project that brought attention to one of the world’s most unusual mammals, the Pangolin. In 2023, she teamed up with local character Trew Facks to create a magical Porcupine Lantern.

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A WHALE’S TALE

AN ODE TO THE HUMPBACK WHALE

A Whale’s Tale will depict a 6’Lx6’H, 3D Humpback Whale sculpture frolicking in the ocean waves.

Whaling off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, was a way of life and a global industry that spanned over a century. By 1967, the Humpback whale species was nearly decimated. With the help of environmental regulation and community awareness, the current population increase amongst this species is estimated at 8% per year. Humpback Whales have become ambassadors of sorts for whale conservation. Ask someone to name a whale species; we bet their answer will be Humpback!

Fun Fact: The oldest documented Humpback whale was 95 years old, making it one of the longest-lived species on the planet.

“A Whale’s Tale” will be made with recycled rebar fleshed out with 1⁄2 inch and 1′ galvanized chicken wire. Details will be added using recycled electrical wire. The waves on this piece will be cut from plywood and painted with mis-tinted paint. The perimeter of the waves will be trimmed in blue rope lights. Swirling colored spotlights will illuminate the whale from below to mimic the dance of sunlight below the ocean waves.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Laura Ouimet Of WE-MET WIRE WORK

Laura Ouimet, a Canadian artist and educator based in Edmonton, Alberta, is a master of Wire Art. Her distinctive style, devoid of power tools, is marvelous to behold. Her preferred medium, chicken wire, is transformed into unique sculptures that have a magnetic pull on the viewer. She has participated in numerous markets and artisan events in Alberta, including the Reynolds Alberta Museum Metal Art Show and Sale. Her sculptures, each a unique creation, have been displayed in cities, universities, galleries, and retail spaces throughout the province, leaving the audience intrigued and fascinated. Her piece, “Love Each Otter,” was featured during Zoominescence 2023.

Laura often collaborates with her partner, Louis Ouimet, who assists with wire cutting and welding the armature for her sculptures.

This is Laura’s second year creating for Zoominescence. Don’t forget to check out Laura’s 2023 installation, “Luv each Otter” too!

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LOVE EACH OTTER

A TESTIMATE TO LOVE.

Love Each Otter, two six-foot tall North American River Otters, celebrates the success story of these previously at risk critters. The Heart in the center of the sculpture represents the love and hope that went into the successful reintroduction to their native habitats and their resilience to challenging environmental factors.

The Heart, held between the Otters, is lit by red and color-changing LED lights. Twinkling lights, wrapped around the frame, further illuminate the sculpture. A bench, placed between the Otters, facilitates and encourages photo opportunities and interaction with the installation. The Boardwalk leading up to this site welcomes and invites visitors to come in, rest on the bench and take some photos!

Love Each Otter is 14 feet wide by 8 feet tall. The otters is 6 feet tall. This installation was constructed using recycled steel rebar for the armatures & bases, 1 inch & ½ inch Galvanized steel chicken wire, recycled aluminum wire, enamel paint, LED lights and electric timers.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Laura Ouimet Of WE-MET WIRE WORK

Laura Ouimet is a Canadian artist and educator based in Edmonton, Alberta. Her Wire Art is made in a very distinctive style, and everything she makes is hand-twisted without power tools. Chicken Wire is her preferred medium to create sculptures with. She has participated in many markets and artisan events in Alberta, including the Reynolds Alberta Museum Metal Art Show and Sale. Her sculptures have been displayed in cities, universities, galleries, and retail spaces throughout the province.

Laura often collaborates with her partner, Louis Ouimet, who assists with wire cutting and welding the armature for her sculptures.

This was Laura’s first Zoominescence Art Installation. Don’t forget to check out Laura’s 2024 installation, “A Whale’s Tale” too!

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IMPACT

AN INTERACTIVE DRUMMING EXPERIENCE

“Impact” is an interactive art installation displaying what people can achieve when they work together. Four drums are attached to sound-reactive LED strips. In the center is a rectangular pillar with graphics on each side: A Polar Bear, Beluga Whale, Snowy Owl and Arctic Wolf. These four animals are on the verge of extinction due to climate change. As the drums are hit, it sends a wave of blue light toward the pillar, eventually illuminating all four sides. The pillar will shine brightly if everyone works together to play the four drums simultaneously. At this time, you have four people focused very intently on their impact on these represented creatures, making them think of the impact they may have through their daily lives on the animals’ existence.

Impact will be constructed of upcycled plywood, LED strips, weatherproof reusable drums, acrylic sheets, vinyl and screws.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Kam Kaminski & Adon Lee Clements OF SOKARIS INC.

Kam Kaminski is a spatial design artist and certified event manager from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. He has worked alongside multiple design groups and event management companies assisting with creative direction, experiential marketing strategies and logistical planning. 

Adon Lee Clements studied Asia Pacific Management at Grant MacEwan University in Canada. He is the Director of Sokaris Inc. where he focuses on branding, business expansion, client communication, and human resources.

Sokaris Inc. is an international interdisciplinary design studio that creates engaging and interactive experiences that fulfill the strongest craving to feel alive. From art installations and museums to jaw-dropping stage and set designs and experiential marketing, Sokaris is a full-service creative company. This is the Sokaris team’s second Zoominescence installation; in 2020, they created Chrome Heart, a multi-dimensional sculpture encompassing community resilience by showing the essentials of existence: people, life, and love.

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 PORCUPINE LANTERN

A FIBER OPTIC RAINBOW

When thinking of conservation, porcupines might not be the first animal to spring to mind. Their population is healthy, they survive well on even lower-quality foods, and their adaptable ilk thrive in a broad spectrum of habitats and local climes. So why pick this particular prickly persona?

Porcupines Embody conservation just by existing! These natural Ecosystem Engineers create habitat as they go about their regular routine. Their bark-eating proclivities beget fallen logs and branches, creating wonderful hiding places for Mammals, Amphibians and Invertebrates. The Standing snags and down wood they leave in their wake create perfect homes for woodpeckers, salamanders and bats. The dead wood becomes host to insects, which are, in turn, eaten by bears and birds. The berries and buds these messy eaters knock from the high branches provide non-climbing animals with a tasty treat. If only we could all be so productive for our ecosystem just by bumbling around and eating lunch! And the whole colourful rainbow of creatures benefitting from a porcupine’s day-to-day existence owes a debt of gratitude to the porcupine’s natural built-in defence: Quills. Quills allow the porcupine to remain relatively unbothered by predators and go about its natural daily conservation efforts, one snack at a time.

The Fibre Optic rainbow reminds us that sometimes, just by letting our unique adaptations shine their brightest unbothered by the slings and arrows of living, a multitude of life can flow from a single unique creature living its best life.

GABS & Trew Facks will partner with a local manufacturer of biodegradable 3D printing plastic (Canadian Filaments) to obtain their waste, out-of-spec filament that would otherwise be thrown away, The body of the porcupine will be made from bamboo and galvanised wire. The porcupine skin and fur areas will be comprised of old white cloth, such as old sheets and fur offcuts from GABS collection. The quills will be held in place using custom designed 3D printed hubs throughout the body. The piece will be lit by NeoPixel LEDs connected to a timer.

This piece will replicate a large than life Porcupine at 2 ft tall by 4.5 ft long.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

GABS & TREW FACKS

GABS is an Edmonton-based artist well known for creating whimsical glowing creatures such as a 30 ft baby humpback whale and a life-sized 10 ft by 18 ft woolly mammoth, which is now on display at the Royal Alberta Museum. 

This is GABS’s second year attending Zoominescence. In 2022, she brought us Pan-glow-in, a project that brought attention to one of the world’s most unusual mammals, the Pangolin. Its warm glow mirrored the glow ignited in the hearts of people encountering her adorable creation at last year’s festival.

GABS will focus on creating the rough body shape Of the Porcupine Lantern, then hand it off to Trew Facks, who will make custom parts to light each quill on the Porcupine. Trew Facks is a local purveyor of Edmonton-themed creations. He has created a similar piece before but has imagined technological improvements to the system that will allow the Quills to dazzle in all their fibre-optic glory. GABS and Trew will collaborate to imbue the piece with final touches, bringing personality and life to their creation. 

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