An army of 1,000 ice men and women were placed on the steps of the University of Chile Law School on Wednesday, drawing a large crowd of curious onlookers.

Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo created the tiny ice sculptures and said the aim was for them to represent something different for everyone who sees them.

She has heard many different interpretations since first creating similar displays in 2001 when the tiny people were made of fragile metals.

Since then, the artist has used moulds to create the tiny ice sculptures that have also been displayed in Sao Paulo, Berlin and Florence.

Hundreds of people took part in the showpiece, however within an hour all the sculptures had sadly melted.