An eagle, a catfish skeleton; check out some of the wild creations at The Forks warming huts

The newest batch of warming huts are officially open at The Forks, bringing with them a display of art and architecture to the Winnipeg landmark.

This year’s structures, which include an eagle, a nod to dim sum and a pavilion, were selected as part of the Warming Huts v.2024 Architecture Competition. The annual contest received hundreds of submissions from artists all around the world.

Some of the warming huts at The Forks

Each hut is diverse in nature and has its own meaning. For example, the ‘Murky Waters’ warming hut is a structure of a catfish skeleton, and brings the underwater world onto the land.

“We’re very honoured to be able to participate in this and share our weird fish idea with Winnipeg,” said Oklahoma City’s Christopher Loofs, who is one of the ‘Murky Waters’ designers.

'Murky Waters' was designed by Christopher Loofs, Jordan Loofs, and Kaci Marshall in Oklahoma City, USA. It shows the skeleton of a catfish and was unveiled at The Forks.

Another one of this year’s structures is called ‘Spinning Dim Sum.’ This hut, designed by artists from Germany and Switzerland, includes felt capsules that have been mounted on a sliding plate to form a dim sum-like shape.

“We had to make a warming hut, but also art,” said Ilga Nelles, one of the designers of ‘Spinning Dim Sum.’

“We like to make projects that are going through the horizon of architecture in the direction of textiles and the direction of music also and the direction of arts.”

'Spinning Dim Sum' was designed by Verena Nelles Kempf and Ilga Nelles in Zurich, Switzerland and Hamburg, Germany.

Those heading to The Forks will also get the chance to check out the ‘Sublimation’ warming hut, which was created by artists from England and France. This pavilion is made from a recycled fishing net skirt that is being supported by a structural pole.

“We wanted to create a community place for Winnipeg, something that can be changing its shape in the weather,” said Barbara Stallone, one of the creators of ‘Sublimation.’

“We were really interested to know what are the weather conditions and how the material reacts.”

'Sublimation' was designed by Francisco Silva, Barbara Stallone, and Alexander Pollard in Paris, France and London, England.

The warming huts also feature the work of local artists, like Jordan and Wayne Stranger who created ‘Circling Above Us’, which portrays the image of an eagle.

“Eagles have always shown themselves in my life, my family’s life at time of change and joy, and we wanted to share that with the community,” Jordan said.

'Circling Above Us' was designed by local artists Jordan and Wayne Stranger. It was unveiled at The Forks on Friday.

Other warming huts that can be found at The Forks include ‘Ice Henge’ and ‘Amisk.’

- With files from CTV’s Katherine Dow and Ainsley McPhail