Turkish academics’ snow sculpture on global warming wins 2nd place in France

A team of academics from Kocaeli University (KOU) and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University has earned second place at the 42nd Valloire International Snow Sculpture Competition in France with their work focused on global warming.

Global warming awareness through art

The team, consisting of Professor Bulent Cinar from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Associate Professor Ceyhun Konak from Kocaeli University, and Instructor Tayfun Konak, participated in the event held from Jan. 14 to 17. Their sculpture, titled “Melting Glaciers,” was created to raise awareness about the ongoing issue of global warming. The team aimed to emphasize the urgency of the issue to the visitors of the festival through their art.

Their piece, “Melting Glaciers,” won second place among 18 teams in the competition. The team worked to convey the message of the importance of being aware of global warming to viewers of all ages who visited the festival area.

Representing Türkiye in global competitions

The team will represent Türkiye in the upcoming “Breckenridge International Snow Sculpture Championships” in Colorado, U.S., later this year. They have earned awards from competitions across three continents.

Cinar spoke to an Anadolu Agency reporter, explaining the process of creating the sculpture using compressed snow. The team sculpted a 3.5-4 meter tall sculpture from a 30-cubic-meter block of snow. Cinar emphasized that the teams were required to complete their works without external assistance.

“Our sculpture focused on the melting of glaciers. It’s an abstract representation of this critical environmental issue,” said Cinar. “Through this artwork, we aimed to highlight the impact of global warming. Just like the glaciers we depicted, our sculpture will melt away in a few weeks. The viewer will witness this process, symbolizing the urgency of the environmental crisis.”

Award-winning sculpture artists

Associate Professor Ceyhun Konak, a faculty member of Kocaeli University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, shared his experiences of working with snow and ice for the past decade. He noted that the team had participated in numerous competitions, including those in China, the U.S., Japan, and Europe, earning recognition and awards along the way.

Konak explained the challenges of sculpting in extreme conditions: “Creating sculptures in such cold conditions requires immense physical effort. When working in places like the 3,600-meter-high location where we recently competed, the oxygen level is low, and the physical endurance required increases.”

Promoting Türkiye globally through snow sculptures

Instructor Konak, who comes from an economics background but has been sculpting for 10 years, highlighted how their participation in these competitions serves to promote Türkiye internationally.

“As we have gained recognition in this field, we are invited to participate in events from all over the world,” he said. “We use this opportunity not only to represent our country but also to attract more tourists and contribute to our economy. Many people have become interested in visiting Türkiye after seeing our work.”

The team’s success in international competitions has firmly established them as key figures in the world of snow sculpture.