Kinura (Sweden) – From 21th to 24th January 2026, four students from Wismar studying various design courses took part in the “41st Snöfestivalen – Kiruna International Snow Festival”. They were accompanied by Professors Ilka Raupach (Faculty of Architecture and Design) and Dr Christian Stollberg (Faculty of Engineering).
Alongside five other participating teams, the Wismar team also created two snow sculptures together. From a raw block measuring 3 m x 3 m x 3 m, i.e. 27 cubic metres and weighing around 20 tonnes, they created a sculpture on the theme of “Utrymningsplan” (Swedish = escape plan) and another on the theme of “Jeahkàl” (Sami = reindeer lichen). The students had designed the sculptures in advance in Wismar using snow and clay.
The two snow sculptures now stand a good 200 km above the Arctic Circle in Kiruna, the capital of Swedish Sápmi, next to the new town hall. How long exactly they will remain there depends on the weather conditions.
Professor Raupach herself has been researching and working with the ephemeral materials of ice and snow for many years. The sculptures created by the Wismar students were also excluded from this year's festival as a group project, as a maximum of two artists were allowed per cube.
The excursion itinerary also included a visit to the new art gallery and music festival there, as well as a tour of the nearby “Icehotel” in Jukkasjärvi. Prof. Ilka Raupach visited the festival for the first time with students in 2025.