Since its opening in 1989, Icehotel has put Jukkasjärvi in northern Sweden on the map. Completely made out of natural ice from Torne River, one of Sweden’s national rivers and last untouched waters, the space is created in a new guise every winter. When the winter season’s hotel has melted back into the river during the spring, a part of the hotel remains; a place where visitors can experience the ice and show all year round. This fall, 32 artists from all over the world have travelled 200 km north of the Arctic Circle to complete this year’s art suites and ice rooms. Two of them, Carl Philip Bernadotte and Oscar Kylberg, now unveil their new suite in Icehotel 365, the hotel’s mentioned year-round building, created together with the hotel’s creative team and florist Per Benjamin. For the first time in its history, a material that is not ice or snow has been used, namely flowers and plants. The flowers permeate the entire furniture, for example in the form of an ice block around the bed with birch leaves and a ceiling lamp in the form of a flower wreath. Everything in the room is reminiscent of midsummer, one of Sweden’s most beloved traditions.
— The idea is that the hotel’s both Swedish and international guests will experience something that is unique to Sweden and our heritage in a slightly different way. By alluding to midsummer, we create a frozen moment that the guest will get to experience. We hope to be able to convey the Scandinavian feeling of nature and this unique tradition in our own artistic way. We wanted to create a concept that was based on taking in the Swedish flora and making it available all year round with the help of ice, nature’s own conservation technology, says Bernadotte & Kylberg.
In addition to the art of ice and flowers, the duo has also created a soundtrack with sound games in the form of buzzing bees, whistling winds, and violin playing. The ambition is that this, together with carefully selected lighting, will enhance the experience of this mysterious midsummer night filled with myths and legends.
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