Press release 31 Aug
\n32 artists from 15 countries will gather in Jukkasjärvi at the end of November to create the 37th edition of ICEHOTEL. The first sketches of this winter’s art suites are now being released. At the same time, ICEHOTEL 365 is celebrating ten years as the world’s first year-round hotel made of ice and snow – with a brand-new experience: a podcast studio built entirely of ice, believed to be the first of its kind in the world.
As frost settles over the Torne River, preparations for this winter’s ICEHOTEL begin. At the end of November, 32 artists from 15 countries will gather in Jukkasjärvi to create ICEHOTEL 37, working alongside the construction team, ice production team, art support team and lighting team. On 11 December, the doors open to the new edition, where art, architecture and Arctic nature come together once again.
Every winter, once the snow has settled in Jukkasjärvi, the ICEHOTEL is recreated in a new form and the art suites take shape as unique works of ice and snow. When spring arrives, the seasonal part of the hotel returns to nature, whilst ICEHOTEL 365 remains standing, allowing guests to experience a night in art suites made of ice and snow all year round.
Since 1989, ICEHOTEL has been rebuilt every winter using snow and around 2,000 tonnes of natural ice from the Torne River. This year’s edition has attracted a record number of applicants. A total of 293 applications were received from all over the world, and among the 32 artists selected, half are creating ice art for the first time.
– It’s fantastic to see a new record number of applications for ICEHOTEL 37. We feel deeply grateful that, after 37 years, artists from all over the world are still inspired by what we create here in Jukkasjärvi. The fact that half of those selected have never worked with ice before reflects both the global appeal and the creative power of ICEHOTEL,’ says Luca Roncoroni, Creative Director at ICEHOTEL.
Roncoroni is also responsible for this year’s ceremony hall, which, with its soft, organic shapes in snow and ice, serves as a venue for weddings and other special occasions.
This year’s art suites include The Cold Descent, where guests can step down into an ice-cold pool; The Emperor’s Suite, featuring hand-sculpted emperor penguins; and Skogsrå, inspired by the mythical forest spirit. View all the suite sketches here.
This winter also marks ten years since ICEHOTEL 365 opened its doors, making it possible to experience art made of ice and snow all year round – even when the midnight sun shines over Jukkasjärvi.
The anniversary is being marked with a brand-new idea: a podcast studio built entirely of ice, believed to be the first of its kind in the world. The studio is being created within ICEHOTEL 365, the permanent part of ICEHOTEL that remains standing all year round. ICEHOTEL is, by its very nature, a place in constant flux. The ice and snow, the art and the winter hotel return to nature when spring arrives. Guests return home – but the stories and memories of the place remain. The podcast studio will be a space dedicated to precisely these stories, where guests, artists, staff and others can share their voices and memories of ICEHOTEL.
– There is something truly beautiful in the contrast between what is transient and what lives on. We have been recreating ICEHOTEL every winter for nearly four decades, and every visit leaves behind new stories. The podcast studio gives us the opportunity to collect some of these and let more voices become part of ICEHOTEL’s ongoing story,” says Marie Herrey, CEO of ICEHOTEL.
The podcast studio is also an art suite where guests can stay overnight, and will serve as a venue for selected podcast productions and collaborations. Further details about upcoming productions and opportunities to record in the studio will be announced in due course.
A complete experience this winter
A visit to ICEHOTEL is about more than just sleeping on ice. When the winter hotel opens on 11 December, a holistic experience in the Arctic environment awaits:
FACTS: ICEHOTEL 37
FACTS: ICEHOTEL 365
ART AND ARTISTS – ICEHOTEL 37
ICEHOTEL 37 – 16 ART PROJECTS: 12 ART SUITES, 1 CEREMONyHALL, 1 MAIN HALL, 2 SIDE HALL PROJECTS
Ceremony Hall
\u200bWouter Biegelaar & Viktor Tsarski, Netherlands/Bulgaria
Main Hall: Lacuna
\u200bIlka Raupach & Caroline Raupach, Germany
Side Halls:
\u200b Shape-Shifters
\u200bLisa Lindqvist, United Kingdom
Silent Oracle
\u200bAnnaSofia Mååg & Berenice Hernández, Sweden/Mexico
Art Suites:
\u200bThe Emperors Suite
\u200bDennis Taylor & Michelle Taylor, New Zealand
The Frozen Heritage
\u200bRajnish Verma & Sunil Kumar Kushwaha, India
Skogsrå
\u200bEmilie Steele & Sara Steele, Sweden
The Other Side
\u200bMilosz Matelski & Thomas Czajkowski, Poland
Freezer Section
\u200bLi Zhi Loh & Wan Sing Tay, Singapore
Beneath Your Feet
\u200bIñaki Olabarri & Ainhoa Ruiz Zumalabe, Spain (Basque Country)
Windows
\u200bWilfred Stijger & Edith Van De Wetering, the Netherlands
Open Wide
\u200bChris Pancoe & Jakobi David Heinrichs, Canada
The Cold Descent
\u200bEdmund Chan & Tan Taitien, Singapore
Let It Flow
\u200bSandra St-Laurent & Isabelle Gasse, Canada
Death Becomes Life
\u200bCat McGurk & Niki McKenzie, Canada
Unfishable Flow
\u200bClaudia Zanaga & Abdulkadir Hocaoglu, Italy/Turkey
Press information:
\u200bFor access to all concept images, high-resolution press material and further information , please visit our press page or contact press@icehotel.com
\u200bConcept images shown: The Other Side by Milosz Matelski & Thomasz Czajkowski, Shape-shifters by Lisa Lindqvist, Open Wide by Chris Pancoe & Jakobi David Heinrichs
Quick facts about ICEHOTEL
44 heated hotel rooms
\u200b28 heated cabins
\u200b18 year-round art and deluxe suites made of ice at Icehotel 365 (-5 degrees Celsius)
\u200b36 art suites and ice rooms open in winter (-5 degrees Celsius)
\u200b1 accessible art suite made of ice (-5 degrees Celsius)
\u200b3 meeting rooms
\u200b1 ceremony hall made of ice in the winter hotel (mid-December – mid-April)
\u200b1 cinema made of ice and snow for 29 guests, open all year round
\u200b1 exhibition room made of ice and snow
\u200b2 ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL: ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL JUKKASJÄRVI AT ICEHOTEL 365 & ICEBAR BY ICEHOTEL COPENHAGEN
\u200b3 Restaurants
\u200b5 Wilderness campers \u200b
About ICEHOTEL
\u200bICEHOTEL in Jukkasjärvi opened in 1989 and, as well as being a hotel, is also an art exhibition featuring ever-changing original artworks made of ice and snow. Every winter, ICEHOTEL is recreated from scratch, made entirely from ice from the Torne River, one of Sweden’s national rivers and its last unspoilt watercourse. When the winter season’s hotel of ice and snow has melted back into the river in spring, part of the hotel remains: ICEHOTEL 365.