JAN-MAR 2016
PEOPLE GOING PLACES Words by Zara Bowens
20 / People Going Places
Beck’s working relationship with snow began when he bought an apartment in Arc2000, a ski resort in France. He recalls that when the ski lifts closed "one fine day in December 2004,” he found that he had “both time and energy to spare,” and his craft developed from there.
British artist Simon Beck uses the world as his canvas, his medium most often being the unpredictable snow. He describes what he does simply as “using snow tracks to make drawings,” though to the rest of us these 'drawings' truly are unique, even ethereal, works of art.
Beck works tirelessly to create large-scale patterns in the snow, the majority of which are made up of his popular symmetrical geometrical designs. The Koch snowflake is one of his favourites because, he says matter-of-factly, “it is easy to make and makes good use of a circular area.” Beck is open to the possibility of creating more 'organic' drawings, however, and emphasises the need to keep his patterns fresh, as drawing the same ones repeatedly can become monotonous for both artist and viewer. Due to the visual impact of the designs, it would be easy to conclude that there is a profound meaning within the work — but Beck maintains, “there is no deep message." Some of his drawings are accompanied by slogans, such as ‘Protect Our Winters’, and others contain hidden codes which the artist does not elaborate upon. However, the main purpose of the designs is aesthetic. Because of the nature of Beck's work, a fair amount of planning goes into these designs. There is no chance of making it up as he goes, and there isn't a lot of flexibility to change one’s mind once in the middle of a snow creation, as this can become "a bit of a minefield." Thorough planning results in less time spent in the field, with the added bonus that when "the brain work" is done he can have a much more pleasant time listening to music and enjoying the process. This methodical approach, eliminating unnecessary timewasting, is crucial when one considers how long it takes to bring some of these designs to life: Beck’s most complex creation to date took him 32 hours in the field to complete. Beck also works with sand to create his art,
and notes the advantages of the medium’s pleasant texture, the often-sunny working environment and the possibility to measure out a design without leaving tracks. However, his connection to the snow is not dampened by his work with other mediums: he maintains that not only does snow art look better, but a small amount of unwanted snow or rainfall does not do significant damage to the drawing and there is no time limit to complete it. Further, as no one else is making snow art, working in snow is a more lucrative field. Beck generally works alone, as it is difficult for others to commit to a shifting schedule caused by ever-changing weather. With plenty of skiers around to communicate with as he works, though, he doesn’t find it too lonely. When the ski fields have closed for the day and he is working alone on the final phase of his drawing — the shading — Beck puts on his music and is “pretty well wrapped up in [his] own little world.” Content with this process, Beck appreciates each step's importance in the realisation of such grand-scale pieces of art. The artist has been commissioned to work in a number of exciting destinations, but one of his favourites is a familiar one: the Lac Marylou at Arc2000, “an outstandingly good site as it is exactly the right size.” He also makes note of the places that are ideal but perhaps more difficult to work with alone, such as the super lake at Verbier, which would require “a whole team of about 10 people (preferably marathon runners) to make good use of it.” On his wish list of other mountainous destinations, Beck says that he would aim for those where spectacular and wellknown mountains could be incorporated into the photographic documentation of the drawing, such as Patagonia, Alaska, the Himalayas and Yosemite. He is also interested in working urban locations, including Central Park in New York, the open spaces around Salisbury Park and Christchurch Meadow in the UK, and Moscow’s Red Square. However, with