All things nice and ice

With another sweltering weekend underway in Brisbane, there's an overwhelming desire to climb into the freezer and stay there until the first signs of autumn.

Last night, a friend and I even took to lying in front of the TV and applying frozen ice packs to our bodies in an attempt to cool down.

So while we crave the cold, in the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year they turn the cold into art.

In Japan's Sapporo, the annual Snow Festival celebrates all things nice and ice in early February.   At several locations across the city, sculptors bring to life people, animals, cartoon characters and buildings from blocks of ice.     These range from small intricate pieces, up to massive works the size of small apartment buildings - some complete with lighting and sound.

On my last visit, it looked like this.