{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.ice-sculpture","code":"thing-q1101968","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1101968/","name":"ice sculpture","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.BLT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A sculpture carved from blocks of ice, ranging from decorative pieces for events and buffets to large works at winter festivals such as those in Harbin, Sapporo and Quebec, made with chainsaws, chisels and heat tools from clear ice blocks, sometimes lit from within, and lasting hours to weeks depending on temperature; ice sculpture is a competitive and commercial craft with festival, culinary and architectural forms such as ice hotels.","purpose":"Let an agent explain ice sculpture as a craft and art, relay techniques, materials and safety, describe festivals and competitions, and distinguish ice sculpture from snow sculpture and ice architecture.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Ephemeral","Clear ice blocks","Power and hand tools","Festival culture"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What ice sculpture is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and kinds.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is ice sculpture, and what kinds exist?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the work ice sculpture, snow sculpture or ice architecture?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"materials","name":"Materials","description":"Ice and tools.","findings":[{"id":"materials-finding","name":"Materials","description":"Materials.","questions":[{"text":"How is clear ice made, and what tools are used?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific technique?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"make","name":"Make","description":"Technique and safety.","layers":[{"id":"technique","name":"Technique","description":"Carving technique.","findings":[{"id":"technique-finding","name":"Technique","description":"Technique.","questions":[{"text":"How are ice sculptures designed, carved, joined and lit?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"safety","name":"Safety","description":"Safety.","findings":[{"id":"safety-finding","name":"Safety","description":"Safety.","questions":[{"text":"What safety rules apply to carving and displaying ice?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the user planning a real carving, which needs training and equipment?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"events","name":"Events","description":"Festivals and competitions.","layers":[{"id":"festivals","name":"Festivals","description":"Festivals.","findings":[{"id":"festivals-finding","name":"Festivals","description":"Festivals.","questions":[{"text":"What are the major ice festivals, and how are their works built?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific festival?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"competitions","name":"Competitions","description":"Competitions.","findings":[{"id":"competitions-finding","name":"Competitions","description":"Competitions.","questions":[{"text":"How are ice carving competitions organised and judged?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and art.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did ice sculpture develop from ice lanterns and ice palaces to modern festivals?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits ice palace?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"art","name":"Art","description":"Ice as art medium.","findings":[{"id":"art-finding","name":"Art","description":"Art.","questions":[{"text":"How do artists use ice and its ephemerality in contemporary art?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits ephemeral art?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe ice sculpture techniques, festivals and display conditions from reliable sources.","Monitor temperature and structural condition of a display for its organizer."],"mustNot":["Advise using powered cutting tools on ice without protection and supervision.","Place or keep large ice pieces where they can topple onto visitors as they melt.","Copy another artist's design and present it as original work.","Dismiss melting or cracking that an organizer reports during a display."],"requiresHuman":["Closing or roping off a display that may be unstable.","Allowing the public close to large blocks."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Melting ice shifts weight unpredictably, so large pieces can injure visitors.","Carving work is cold and hazardous for the artists and crews."],"affectedParties":["Visitors, including children","Carvers and crews","Event organizers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The artist or the event organizer that commissions and displays it.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q27966041","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q860861","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"sculpture","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"snow or ice construction","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"chainsaw","type":"related","note":"and chisels"},{"target":"ice festival","type":"related","note":"such as Harbin"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.ice-sculpture","Wikidata: Q1101968 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1101968)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["standard ice block: about 135 kg - about 100 by 50 by 25 cm","Harbin festival ice used: hundreds of thousands m3 - per year"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Sculpture carved from ice","Event, festival, competition and architectural ice works","Snow sculpture uses packed snow; ice hotels are architecture","Transparent or translucent carved forms of ice, often lit."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain techniques and materials","describe festivals and competitions","relay safety","distinguish from snow sculpture"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Collapse and falling ice","Tool injuries","Melting and structural failure","Confusing with snow sculpture"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Event safety rules for large ice works","Food safety rules for culinary ice","Competition rules of ice carving associations"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Decoration, art and entertainment.","event and culinary ice sculptures","festival ice sculptures such as Harbin, Sapporo and Quebec","competition pieces","ice architecture such as ice hotels and ice bars","ice lanterns and lit sculptures"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1101968: ice sculpture","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1101968","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Ice sculpture","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_sculpture","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should ice festival and ice hotel be separate entries?","How should craft references be linked?","How should competitions be recorded?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1101968/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1101968/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T01:44:01Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:53+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}