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The 'Iceman' cometh: Jeffrey Ng loves creating art with ice blocks, even though they melt fast here

Jeffrey Ng loves creating art with ice blocks, even though they melt fast here in the tropics

Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer. When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the custome
Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer.
Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer. When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the custome
When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the customer.
Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer. When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the custome
Mr Ng (right) and his assistant prepare the ice-sculpting tools, which include a chisel, saw and sander.
Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer. When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the custome
They push out a block of ice, weighing about 140kg, from the freezer to do the sculpture.
Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer. When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the custome
When the overall shape of the carving has been created, he uses a chisel and grinder to add details, such as shaping the head of the peacock.
Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer. When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the custome
When the overall shape of the carving has been created, he uses a chisel and grinder to add details, such as shaping the head of the peacock.
Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer. When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the custome
Mr Ng uses a grinder to outline the design of a peacock on the block of ice.
Dressed up in thick winter gear, Mr Jeffrey Ng works on the finer details of a peacock ice sculpture inside the freezer. When the peacock ice sculpture is completed, it is lifted carefully with a forklift onto an ice truck for delivery to the custome
He wears a thick winter jacket and gloves before entering the freezer to put the finishing touches to the sculpture.
Benjamin Seetor Executive Photojournalist
Updated
Nov 12, 2018, 05:00 AM
Published
Nov 12, 2018, 05:00 AM
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Call him The Iceman, tropical Singapore's least likely artist, but certainly the coolest, in every sense of the word.

The name of Mr Jeffrey Ng's game is transformation - the ability to turn blocks of ice into pieces of art, using whatever tools at his disposal, including chainsaws, drills, grinders and chisels.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 12, 2018, with the headline The 'Iceman' cometh: Jeffrey Ng loves creating art with ice blocks, even though they melt fast here. Subscribe

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