Seven marble sculptures hang in Kunsthaus Zuerich's tunnel, each carved from Carrara marble to replicate ice fragments collected at Diamond Beach, Iceland. These ice pieces originated from Breidamerkurjoekull glacier, washing ashore where they melt within days. 3D scanning captured each fragment's geometry before it disappeared. The scans translated to marble-ephemeral forms frozen in permanent material. Suspended overhead, the white marble pieces evoke icebergs viewed from below water. The material inversion creates temporal paradox: ice that lasted hours now persists indefinitely. Seven pieces mark seven days, a week's cycle against glacial time. The installation preserves specific ice geometries that no longer exist, making absence tangible through presence.
Research: Ice scanning presents technical challenges-transparency confuses standard photogrammetry. The methodology developed at AID uses aser scanners developed for the automotive industry and surface treatments to capture surface topology despite optical properties. Each fragment scanned on-site before melting, data processed to clean geometry for CNC milling.
Photography: Studio Olafur Eliasson, Franca Candrian
