16 Cool Ice Sculptures That Break the Mold

Guests (with the help of Okamoto Studio's crew) used hand tools and drills to make their mark on a glowing, seven-foot-tall ice wall, which can be constructed at events, celebrations, and weddings.

To promote the season premiere of Showtime's Shameless, Okamoto Studio carved and assembled more than 18,000 pounds of ice in the shape of the show's hashtag, which was on display in the Flatiron district's pedestrian plaza in New York in January.

At the "Travel Alberta: Snowed In at Nokia Plaza" activation, held in Los Angeles in November 2013, guests chipped away at an icy replica of a mountain, which was created by Robert Van Diggele, to retrieve the prize vouchers frozen inside. The vouchers were exchanged for signed pucks, Travel Alberta-branded items, and a signed L.A. Kings jersey.

Bank of China opened the financial institution's Chicago branch with an ice-cutting ceremony in March 2013. Nadeau's Ice Sculptures encased red letters that spelled out "Chicago" in ice; the bank executives then chiseled away at the blocks to reveal the new location.

Toronto's Iceculture has created beaded curtains—made entirely of ice—for events, where it can divide a room or serve as an eye-catching backdrop.

A 14- by 12-foot ice sculpture of Russia's signature dome architecture served as the centerpiece of the dessert presentation at the Initiative for Russian Culture's film series launch event at the Library of Congress in Washington in September 2011.

In addition to carving detailed displays, Washington, D.C.'s USAIce also makes shot glasses from ice for events. The company also creates ice bowls and trays.

At the launch of the Kate Young for Target collection, held at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral school in SoHo in April 2013, Okamoto Studio etched the designer's name in playful block letters, which held lopsided bottles.

Festive ice installations, like a frosty Claus, decorated Minus5 Ice Bar in New York (which also has locations in Las Vegas and Orlando) this past holiday season. Guests don parkas and gloves to sip vodka cocktails in the 23 degree Fahrenheit space, which features walls, tables, benches, and a bar made completely of ice.

An enormous slab of ice was carved into an intricate latticework bar for the Naked Heart Foundation's "White Fairy Tale Love Ball," which was held at Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti's 17th-century Château de Wideville estate outside Paris in July 2011.

Okamoto Studio froze 800 pairs of flip-flops inside a nine-foot ice cube in Union Square for an Old Navy product launch in June 2012. As the ice melted, passersby grabbed a free pair.

To launch Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Nintendo hosted an event in Santa Monica in February 2014, complete with an icy version of the iconic video game character.

Toronto marketing company Capital C hosted a holiday party in December 2011 with a "Naughty N'Ice" theme, featuring cocktails poured over dry ice, soup topped with nitrogen-frozen blueberries, and a cool chaise from Iceculture.

For the luxury bridal event Brides, Bubbles, and Bliss, held at Bridgeport Art Center's Skyline Loft in May 2013, Johnson Studios Ice Sculptures Chicago kept bottles of Veuve Clicquot on ice in a creative way.

At Martha Stewart Weddings' 20th anniversary party, held at the Pierre hotel in New York in October 2014, Okamoto Studio carved half-shell ice sculptures, complete with frozen pearls, for the raw oyster serving station.

At the Absolut Vodka pop-up party, held in Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square in November 2011, a circular branded ice bar, created by Iceculture, featured a cocktail menu engraved in the ice blocks.