They met as ice carvers in Quebec and joined forces to sculpt sand in Bay of Fundy
Both will compete against professional sand sculpting teams from around the world on Race Against the Tide
Different backgrounds, different personalities — but a perfect match.
Marie-Line Gagné and Isabelle Gasse met in an undeniably cool place: both were working on the Hôtel de Glace in Quebec, one of roughly 20 ice hotels the world. Gagné was on the building team, working on the structure and walls of the hotel, while Gasse joined the ice sculptors, carving the hotel's ornate details.
With a background in agriculture, Gagné was going through a rough stretch in life, and she was starting over. Watching the sculptors arriving with their tools and carving beautiful ice sculptures, she found an instant calling.
All of the other carvers have that kind of craziness in their eyes … it's special to meet a community that shares the same craziness as yourself.
"There was something vibrant in myself that told me, 'I've got to do it,'" Gagné says.
Gasse, meanwhile, was a lifelong multidisciplinary artist on yet another adventure,but when the two women crossed paths, they just clicked.
One was high-concept and creative while the other was high-energy and daring. The carving work they did together was incredible, eventually landing them a spot on the show Race Against the Tide, where teams of sand sculptors compete on a beach at the Bay of Fundy.
Water creeping closer, red flag waving, teams frantically finessing the last details — Race was a fresh challenge and exciting adventure for two artists who love both.
Similar work, new world
Switching from ice carving to sand sculpting wasn't necessarily game-changing for the duo — a new medium means testing new "limits," Gagné says, but the basic principles remain.
"I was really loving the kind of person, the personality, in the sand community," Gasse says. "People were always doing really poetic pieces. Sand sculptors are really creative, they are going somewhere else, they are bringing a lot of new concepts and new visual effects."
For Gagné, the TV competition added to her energy; she loved the adrenaline rush of high-pressure creativity.
"I think everybody's doing it for a different reason," she says. "But what I like, when we get together in the competition, is all of the other carvers have that kind of craziness in their eyes … it's special to meet a community that shares the same craziness as yourself."
Gasse is the opposite in that adrenaline isn't her fuel. She's not a naturally competitive person and she initially shied away from being on television. Instead, her goal was trying something new and showing up for her friend.
"The first reaction I had was, 'I can't do that, I won't be able to be in front of the camera,'" Gasse says. "But I wanted just to push myself to do stuff I'm not used to, and also have that opportunity to do more sculptures, to be surrounded with great artists, too. And so I just talked about that to Marie-Line a bit and she … was the one that really pushed it."
Surprised by their success
The two were apart this summer: Gagné was woodworking at Fernie Log Carver in Fernie, B.C., and Gasse has been working in film, doing special effects, decor and modelling.
Now that she's carving in wood, and with ice and sand already mastered, Gagné notices her preference for working with natural materials. She tried metal but it didn't suit her; she likes knowing that her medium is "from nature and [going] back to nature."
"It's made me realize how the present is precious," Gagné says. "Like if you live in an experience, just live in it the fullest, because it won't last forever."
Gasse likes to keep moving too — "Just always being doing a new thing," she says — but she's proud of their carving work on Race.
First of all, they were surprised to even have been picked for the show; secondly, they thought they would be kicked out of each round; and lastly, they were among the youngest competitors. What started as an adventure turned into a major accomplishment.
"It occurred to me that there's not a lot of young people, like it's really rare, actually," Gasse says. "And I think I'm kind of proud of that, too. Because it's hard to be introduced to that community and to have the experience to go there, then the confidence. I think I'm really proud of us."
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