Frozen fingers didn’t deter Kerry Pippy from building an inuksuk out of coloured ice blocks this past holiday season.
Pippy was at Yellowknife city council Monday night as she and seven other winners of the 2018 Yellowknife holiday lights competition were given a shout out and some prize money by Northland Utilities.
A Yellowknifer since age two, Pippy says this isn’t her first time creating art out of ice. Last year she tried her hand at an igloo which ended up being more of a half-finished ‘fort’ she admits.
For this year’s art project, Pippy started with about 20 plastic shoe boxes from Wal Mart. She then spent about two weeks filling the boxes with water and food colouring. She set them out on the porch to freeze. When she had about 50 blocks she put them together with a ‘mortar’ of snow and water slush.
“The actual building time was probably only about three hours or so. It took about a week, maybe two weeks, of freezing blocks. But the building itself didn’t take that long.”
With her home right across from a playschool, the inuksuk taking form quickly got noticed by children and their parents. Neighbours enjoyed the sight as well.
“Everybody said it was really colourful and friendly. My neighbour posted a photo of it and said it made the whole street feel like Christmas.”
The holiday lights contest winners are:
Alternative – 6 Burwash Drive
Commercial Exterior – Adam Dental Clinic
Mobile Home Exterior – 145 Haener Drive
Neighbourhood – 45-49 Hordal Road
Residential Exterior – 5 Wong Court
Winter Wonderland – 5211 54 Street
Office Interior – Department of Infrastructure – DMV
See all of the holiday lights contest on the city’s interactive map.
