GULO LUNA.

GULO GULO, THE WOLVERINE.

The Gulo Luna ice sculpture melds light and ice to celebrate the wolverine, a species that thrives in Northern Canada.

Predominantly nocturnal animals, Gulo Luna positions this rarely seen wonder on a half moon.

Wolverines can be vicious scavengers and hunters, and have even been known to take on much larger animals, such as mountain lions, moose, and elk. The American wolverine’s Latin name, gulo gulo, literally translates to glutton, glutton (haha!)

This sculpture was created on-site over two days, allowing visitors to the zoo to witness the creation process.

Made of ice and low-energy LED lights, this exhibit exemplifies our commitment to conservation. The wooden shade has been painted black to create a background that is ideal for pictures. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

CLIFF VACHERESSE & ANDREW WAGNER.

Gulo Luna was created by lead sculptor Cliff Vacheresse and sculptor Andrew Wagner, both of whom are sculptors with Activate Arts Alberta (formerly the Ice on Whyte Festival Society). Together, they have over 20 years of combined experience in ice, sand, and snow sculpting. Most recently, they created two wildlife-inspired sculptures for Ice Magic 2025 in Lake Louise: a Lynx and an Owl.

ABOUT 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 sixth year contributing ice sculptures to Zoominescence. His previous masterpieces include Polarset, Reigning Light on the Caribou, and Curious Firefox.

ABOUT ANDREW WAGNER.

Andrew Wagner is an Edmonton sculptor, who has created works for Ice on Whyte, Grande Prairie’s Grande North Winter Festival, and Lake Louise’s Ice Magic. This is Andrew’s first time contributing to Zoominescence. 

Follow Activate Arts: 

activateartsab.ca