This week's best things to do in London, from ice-sculpting festivals to a battle at Barbican After an exceptionally mild December, the London Ice-sculpting Festival provides a late opportunity to experience a blast of wintry activity. Held across Montgomery Square, Canada Square and Jubilee Place Shopping Mall in Canary Wharf, the festival sees eight teams from around the world carve spellbinding structures from huge chunks of ice. Inspired spectators who want to try ice sculpting for themselves can sign up to 20-minute master classes on the day, where, it seems, you'll be taught to chisel a block of ice into something resembling a husky dog. Anyone else disappointed with this year's meagre snowfall can make their way to Montgomery Square where the public is invited to make snowmen and snowcastles in an area covered with real snow. When: Jan 13-14. Times for specific events vary so check the website in advance. Where: Montgomery Square and Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf, London E14 5AX Tube: Canary Wharf How much: free to watch. Master classes are free too, but you must sign up for them on the day and in person. Hear voices at the London A Cappella Festival The relatively new London A Cappella Festival may require some introduction but hopefully needs little explanation. Celebrating all forms of a cappella, the event is partially curated by five-time Grammy-winning vocal group the Swingle Singers and will showcase ensembles who specialise in choral, jazz, beatbox, and more. Acts from around the world will take to the stage at Kings Place, with local favourite London Vocal Project likely to attract a large crowd. Look out, as well, for Cottontown Chorus, a British barbershop group with 56 members, and a performance by the Single Singers themselves. Anyone inspired by the festival can also attend workshops and panel discussions. For a reminder of how superfluous instruments can be when performers can actually sing, have a listen to the Swingle Singers footage above. When: Jan 12-14. Where: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG Tube: King's Cross St. Pancras How much: prices vary Spare a few minutes for the London Short Film Festival LSFF2012 Trailer w/ The Strumpettes from London Short Film Festival on Vimeo. Evolved from the Halloween Short Film Festival which used to take place at the ICA, the London Short Film Festival has been going strong for nine years now and has developed two aims: to celebrate short films generally and to showcase the most progressive and interesting independent films being produced in the UK. It looks like this year's programme will be another success, with scores of screenings, parties and live music performances scheduled to take place over its duration. Especially recommended are "London Lives" at the Museum of London Docklands on Thursday, which features a number of short films that show a London that can be both beautiful and brutal, and Wednesday's retrospective of renegade filmmaker Sean Conway at the ICA. There's also a rather sombre look at the plight of the "disenfranchised male" and plenty of expert-led workshops if you're looking to break into film yourself. When: until Jan 15 Where: throughout London How much: prices vary See two brilliant artists go head to head at Barbican's Survivor Antony Gormley, left, and Hofesh Shechter discuss Survivor at Barbican. Another first for London, Survivor is the result of a collaboration between choreographer-turned-composer Hofesh Schechter and sculptor Antony Gormley. At its core is a recital of Shechter's score by 30 musicians, but Gormley has crafted a complementary visual landscape that transforms the Barbican stage into an extension of the performance. What, exactly, is scheduled to happen remains under wraps but given the talents involved this is an occasion that has attracted a lot of interest; as it takes place over three nights only this one could well be a sell-out. When: Jan 12-14 Where: Barbican Theatre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS Tube: Barbican How much: £16-£34