The Ice Board Project

As part of the Wavescapes Surf Art Exhibition held in December 2009, a local surfer shaped a life-size surfboard entirely from ice. Conn Bertish created the ice board as a visual poem underlining the global warming crisis in a powerful way.

“As surfers we are literally on the frontline of global warming and the effect it is having on the ocean environment. I believe every surfer has a role to play in this most pressing issue,” says Bertish. “The board of ice is a simple metaphor for what is a happening right now to all the world’s glaciers and ice caps. As this board melts so do our glaciers and million year old ice caps. So we each need to take stock of how our actions are affecting the increase in Global Warming. The board is a simple graphic reminder of this.”

The ice-board was sculpted over two days by Bertish with Ice Art in an ice-preparation / sculpting fridge in Cape Town, before being transported in two pieces to Depasco Café where it was displayed to the public as part of the Wavescapes Surf Art Exhibition which raised $23,000 for ocean conservation.