'I'm a jerk': Alberta woman parodies Talus Dome, then finds beauty in controversial art piece
What started out as a way to goof on a high-priced public art installation in Edmonton has become somewhat of a labour of love for Laurie Keindel.
The Devon, Alta., hairdresser makes cool things out of ice every year. She's made displays themed after Star Wars and the Disney movie Frozen. She also formed large ice dinosaurs one year as part of her holiday tradition.
This winter, she decided to create a cheeky ode to the Talus Dome, often called the Talus balls, which is a $600,000 City of Edmonton display featuring 1,000 stainless steel spheres located on the side of Whitemud and Fox drives.
“Mostly, I guess I’m a jerk. I meant to do a parody and as I was building, I kinda liked it,” Keindel told CTV News Edmonton.
“It is 1,000 balls for $600,000. Someone’s gotta pay me right?" She added with a belly laugh.
- 'It's too pretty to be covered up': Local company cleans vandalism off Talus Dome
- 10 spots to visit in Edmonton during your summer staycation
The local hairdresser covered her front-yard parody in Christmas lights. There's also a penguin, a reindeer and a Santa Claus.
Creating the display was not easy. Keindel spent many hours freezing spheres using balloons and plastic pails. She said it's also kind of dangerous, because the ice sometimes explodes, so she had to wear safety goggles.
Laurie Keindel's Talus Dome parody (Sean McClune/CTV News Edmonton) and the real Talus Dome in a file photo (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton.)“It was stupid hard,” she said of stacking the ice.
“Each ball is five to eight pounds. On a warm, sunny afternoon, even if it's -20 degrees, they’ll just roll down. They’re heavy.”
Keindel estimated she's made about 300 ice balls so far and said she plans to keep going, in an effort to reach 1,000.
Keindel chose not to share her address but hopes the story and photos give people a laugh and something cool to look at during a cold Alberta winter.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.