Sunday, February 04, 2007

more library books

What do you get when you pair architects with minimalist artists and turn them loose on media (snow and ice) they have little or no experience with? The Snow Show is a book filled with wonderful, full-color photographs of the results, creations that are beautiful and interesting enough to more than make up for being somewhat monotonous. Unfortunately, the book also features page after page of uppity, dysfunctional prose. Even the show's web site, with its "this experience is more important than anything else you could possibly be doing" full-screen presentation, manages to express the worst along with the best of the. . . Okay, I should stop now. Get this book for your coffee table and leave it there.

Snow Sculpture and Ice Carving is about as contrasting a book on the subject as could be imagined. A product of 1970's craft culture, James Haskins's book features black and white photos of sculptures that are more accessible if a bit crude. I didn't find the book terribly interesting, however, as it is heavy on ideas for what to carve but light on technique.

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