Rainbow igloo

It came to him in a dream. Daniel Guay is a schoolteacher in Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada (that is his 10th grade social studies class, 4th image). In Fall 2010, he was excited to learn that his wife was pregnant. With thoughts of the new life filling his waking hours, a symbolic structure appeared to him in a dream – an igloo made of many brightly-colored blocks. "The contrast of the vibrant colors against the white snow was incredible," he describes. He was compelled to build the igloo as a celebration and something no one in his small Arctic community had ever seen before or would likely forget.

Dan faced many setbacks, some as a result of his determination to use colored ice, instead of the snow blocks from which a traditional igloo is constructed. Dozens of the 75 tinted ice blocks he would need cracked. Many of the blocks being molded had been accidentally pulled over and destroyed by his dog Kajuq. Others shattered when he attempted to remove them from their molds, or remove imperfections by sponging them with hot water. But by April 2011, Dan had perfected his technique and reached his goal - despite temperatures as low as -47º F. He built the igloo in 3 days (time-lapse video here, with stills above) and set the final blue keystone in place at 2am. It now existed as a metaphor for strength of the whole based on individual parts, the diversity of experiences that he would impart to his coming child, and determination to finish a difficult task.

"The rainbow igloo was finally complete. I placed a light inside, and with elation saw that my dream had come to life. It dawned on me that perhaps most significantly of all, my igloo represented the tiny new person growing contentedly in my partner’s womb, and that in my own small act of creation I had symbolically willed this being into existence. From hidden subconscious and dark womb to tangible, colourful blocks, I felt that my child was ready to be born. And in becoming a father, I am ready to create something truly beautiful, the likes of which the world has never seen before, and which it will never forget," writes Daniel.