Tallinn will host first World Fire Sculpture Championship in 2011

Tallinn after being nominated the European Capital of Culture for 2011 organizes the fire sculpture festival in 2011 welcoming participants from all over the world, the Tallinn Fire and Ice reports.

Tallinn, Estonia expects proficient participants from Finland, France, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and USA, writes LETA.

During the traditional Tallinn Light Festival in 2011, the first World Fire Sculpture Championship will be held from January 16 - 22.

The event is curated by the world's first fire sculpture association's establishing member, Gunnar Carl Nilsson, who organized the first European Fire Sculpture Championship in Stockholm in 1998.

Fire sculpture is an art form that has become widespread in the world during the past decades. Central to this art branch is viewing the fire as an independent medium. Typical fire sculptures are initially made from natural materials like wood, string and thatch.

According to Nilsson, when one works with fire "you need to use experience and creativeness, nearly be an inventor. It has nothing to do with ordinary bonfires. It takes much more from the artist to obtain a performance worth the name."

The fire sculptures are an aesthetic spectacle that is excellent way to brighten up the rough Nordic winter.

The participants to the first World Fire Sculpture Championship were chosen based on the candidate teams' sculpture designs.

Estonia will be represented in the competition by three teams.

On January 16, a semifinal will be held from where six teams will be selected to the final round.

The final competition will be held on January 22.

The sculptures will be built during the day, the presentation of the work and the firework spectacle will be in the evening along with announcing the winners.

The prize fund is 5000 euros - the first team will be awarded 2,500 euros, the second team - 1,500 euros and the third team - 1000 euros.

Before the World Fire Sculpture Championship events, the Tallinn Light Festival is carrying out an action to collect old Christmas trees in the capital of Estonia.

Tallinn Light Festival encourages the citizens to take their Christmas trees to the festival collection points, so that they can be used for building the fire sculptures. This action propagates green thinking and helps to keep the city environment cleaner. Tallinn Light Festival has been organizing old Christmas tree collections for the past 15 years.

The tradition of burning Christmas trees is known and practiced all over Estonia.