We caught up with Jonathan and Marnie Green, the immensely talented father-daughter team chosen to design a suite for the latest ICEHOTEL. Alongside Marnie’s praise for her father’s encouragement, learn how a shared passion for art and the environment will equip them for their frozen challenge ahead.
Can each of you introduce the other?
Jonathan: Marnie is an 18-year-old, fine art student. She’s a very creative individual who is extremely passionate about animals and the environment. And, just setting out on her artistic journey, she has a great interest in photography and music. She’s especially excited about working on the ICEHOTEL project, and will contribute her flair, enthusiasm and style.
Marnie: Jonathan is 53, and has been in the creative industry all his working life. He studied at two of London’s leading art schools, before turning to scenic and production design in television. He is a caring and loving dad, and has always inspired me to follow in his footsteps.
Have you ever visited an ice hotel or Lapland before?
Yes, we have been to Finnish Lapland, although Marnie was just four years old. We’ve both always loved the snow.
Jonathan and Marnie's initial design
What’s the concept behind your design and how did you arrive at it?
We both share a passion for the environment and wanted to create a space to reflect the global issues that we currently face. We also wanted to create an interesting and unusual environment that people would be excited to enter, and to explore an ocean ecosystem from dry land.
What was the selection process like?
The ICEHOTEL open up applications to artists and designers, and we applied after seeing a TV documentary on amazing hotels around the world. We submitted the application in April, and they told us we had been successful in early June. Out of 155 submissions from 36 different countries, we were one of the 15 who were chosen.
Have you ever worked with ice or anything equally strange?
No, neither of us have ever worked with ice. The closest we have come is building snowmen in the garden!
What do you think will be most challenging about realising your design?
Working in extreme cold will be challenging, as will carving enormous amounts of snow from the extra-thick walls that we need especially for our design. However, we both have a similar sense of humour, and similar tastes in music, so we think that our work space will be a really fun place to be.
Ice carving at the ICEHOTEL (Credit: Martin Smedsén)
You both have very creative jobs and studies; is art something that runs in the family?
Yes, art and music features heavily in our extended family, and is something we have both been brought up to do. Marnie’s grandma, my mother, is an artist.
Is this the first project you’ve worked on together?
This will be our first official collaborative project, aside from little art pieces we create together.
Are you looking forward to working together?
Of course! We are both very excited to learn a new artistic skill together, and to spend two weeks working hard on an amazing project. We cannot wait to get started.
Inspired? Take a look at our classic ICEHOTEL itinerary.
