About Us

It is now thirty years since Duncan Hamilton revived the art of ice sculpture in Europe, restoring a glamorous tradition long neglected by Western artists.

This is a tradition which Duncan and his small team are proud to have a developed into a style of their own, stressing the contemporary fascination with clarity, simplicity, precision and transcience. As a result, the range and scale of the ice sculptures the studio is invited to design and produce is ever expanding: exciting parties and promotions go hand in hand with continuous work in film, television, and advertising.

Ice is an extremely technical medium to work with - volatile, changeable, and beautiful. To ensure maximum impact, perfectly clear ice is carefully produced in the studio before being sculpted with the finest Japanese Samurai chisels. Starting with water and ultimately returning to water, every aspect of each piece of work is carefully controlled and managed.

Duncan

Duncan started sculpting ice in the mid '70s after a successful career as a chef at London's stylish Mirabelle, Dorchester and Caprice restaurants. It was in this demanding environment that he feels he learnt the skills of artistry and care of presentation under pressure, which are essential in handling this fast, strong, and delicate material.

He worked briefly as a college lecturer before his growing fame as an ice sculptor began to demand all of his attention. Since then the business has gone from strength to strength, gaining an international as well as national reputation. He cites his influences as Epstein, Moore, and Wynne for their simplicity of line and economy of form.

Jamie

Jamie was born in London and studied at Oxford before joining the studio ten years ago.

As an ice sculptor he works closely with clients on designs and specifications, paying
particular attention to figure sculpting. Jamie and Duncan manage the business together
as directors of the company.

Ben

Ben, originally from Hull, studied Model Making & Design at the University of Sunderland,
where he developed a keen interest in semiotics and advertising, and the psychology of
product design. Before joing the company he worked for Slotz Ltd. sculpting licensed merchandising figures for BBC, Jim Henson and Fox Productions.

He joined Duncan Hamilton Ice Sculpture in 2004 and is now an accomplished craftsman in ice,
as well as taking a lead in managing projects for the company. He cites Rodin, Giacometti and Scorsese among his favourite artistic influences.