SIR ELTON JOHN: AS SEEN IN ISCHGL
28th January 2020
Last modified on May 15th, 2021
Not in person but in snow. A likeness of the music superstar has been sculpted on the slopes of the resort in the Austrian Tirol.
British snow sculptors Justin Scott and Martin Sharp have completed their work, which is part of Ischgl’s annual Shapes in White competition.
This year’s theme is 25 years of Top of The Mountain rock concerts.
Sir Elton has twice performed at the open air gigs in Ischgl.
In May 2008 the PlanetSKI editor, James Cove, was there and wrote about it for the BBC.
It’s the second time that Justin Scott has modelled the musician. He first did so in January 2003.
“We’ve done the best work we could have possibly done given the timescale,” he said.
“It’s a homage to the performance on the mountain, with the stage – and of Elton John, a British artist.
“One of the elements I do is to make a hollow in the sculpture.
“I cut it and Martin made the hollow and in the hollow he’s made a seat.
“Around it says Sir Elton John and a star, number 1, and people have been coming in and sitting there and having their photograph taken.
“Initially when I first came here it was for a snowboarding holiday and as a trained sculptor it’s great to come away and do something with the snow. Ischgl means a lot to me.”
Ten pairs of sculptors from across Europe competed in the 27th annual Shapes in White, with Italians Ivan Holzknecht and Armin Rifesser from Val Gardena coming top with their creation ‘Guitar and Saxophone’.
The sculptures will remain on the slopes to be admired by skiers and snowboarders until the Spring thaw.
Ischgl’s five month long season is opened and closed by big name open-air concerts.
This winter was opened on 30 November 2019 by Berlin-based cult band Seeed and will close on 3 May 2020, the day after the season-ending Top Of The Mountain concert by Italian pop-rock icon Eros Ramazzotti.
