The partyers -- whose revels were mostly limited to posing for publicity photos and cracking jokes about their own intelligence -- had assembled to boost an upcoming monthlong project that aims to expand the way people think about the cold.
Organized by the Alaska Design Forum, Anchorage Museum and International Gallery of Contemporary Art, "Freeze" will kick off with a New Year's Eve party and wind up with a forum on the environment in early February. In between there will be movies, lectures, performance events and art exhibits, all tied to the theme of how humans can flourish -- practically, intellectually, creatively and otherwise -- in frigid regions.
The most visible art will be large-scale, temporary, outdoor installations occupying four blocks of the Park Strip, "creating experiences that highlight the exquisite northern elements of snow, ice and light," according to a press release. These "ice sculptures" will be constructed by teams of architects, contractors, designers and artists. The pieces will be linked by a groomed cross-country ski trail.
A number of the participants will come from out of state, from Yukon, Iceland and similar cold-weather settlements.
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