Welcome to Iceopolis: A Waterloo gardener's way of surviving winter

While many residents may dread the cool winter temperatures Waterloo region has experienced over the last week, Robert Aitkin has been reveling in the frosty forecast. 

Tucked away in his Waterloo backyard, Aitkin has created hundreds of ice structures arranged to look like a miniature community. It's a place Aitkin calls Iceopolis.

Following his retirement as a gardener with the city of Kitchener, Aitkin has since spent the last five winters crafting his icy works of art. 

"I couldn't come out and garden but looked at my yard and thought what can I do out there?" recalled Aitkin. "So I built some snow mushrooms and then I thought why not make ice mushrooms?"

Growing up in an artistic family, Aitkin adds that he's worked on various creative projects but nothing like this freezing fabrication. 

Over 100 different sculptures of all sizes line his yard in stacks with a series of mini lights to bring the city to life at night.

"There have been days where I probably spent four, five, six hours out here."

Building the city

In theory, Aitkin says making the ice is easy but finding the right molds proves to be more difficult. 

Garbage cans, various sized milk cartons, pots and pans are just a few of the household items he has experimented with to create the different shapes.

"When I go grocery shopping, I'll look around the baked goods section because they often have interesting packages," he explained. 

Despite the ongoing work of freezing the ice and meticulous placing of both the ice and lights, the city isn't built to last. 

Once the temperatures warm, the ice melts, leaving a blank canvas in Aitkin's backyard. 

"One of the beautiful things about this is that it's temporary art, " he said. 

"It's like sidewalk chalk art or like a live music performance. Improvised jazz that's a one off. It's never going to be that way again."

Community reaction

Although Iceopolis is hidden in Aitkin's gated yard, he says the people he invites into his icy world are always shocked by the sight. 

"If they've never seen my garden before, it's a big surprise. You don't see this anywhere else."

He adds that he would love to find other people interested in the wintry craft. 

Another Waterloo resident known for his snowy sculptures is Matthew Morris. 

From gnomes with tall hats to modern art towers of snow blocks, Morris has built many structures on his front lawn over the years. 

He says he finds snow sculpting to be a fun way to get outside, get some physical activity and meet neighbours while using snow as a creative outlet. 

"My favourite snow is non-packing fluffy snow that's packed into a form and then the magical word is sintering where the snow bonds together over a couple of hours and it's a beautiful carving medium," said Morris. 

Show us your winter creations!

If you're like Robert Aikin and you've done something fun with snow and ice in your yard, we'd love to see it! 

Maybe it's a hockey rink or a corkicurl rink, maybe it's a good snowman or a colourful ice display. 

Email us your picture and story at yournewskw@cbc.ca or leave a comment below.