這件作品是Francis在墨西哥城的街上把一塊大冰塊外推，直至冰塊完全溶化為止。過程歷時9小時。
冰是表達時間流逝的其中一個有效的方法，Francis充份利用冰的特性去完成這一件作品。作品以中文翻譯過來便是「徒勞無功」，從而反映我們很多時候努力去完成一件事後結果也不一定是我們所追求的。然而這個亦是社會的縮影，就以社會上貧窮的人作例子，他們或許希望靠自身努力去擺脫困境，但殘酷的現實有機會令他們無法得到他們所想的結果。這件作品正是以時間表達現實生活甚至是社會的殘酷。

This is a piece of performance art by Francis Alÿs who pushed a large block of ice out on a street in Mexico City until the ice was completely melted. The whole process lasted for 9 hours.
Using ice as the medium is an effective way to manifest the passage of time. Francis makes good use of the quality of ice to stage his piece. The literal translation of the artwork title is "futility", suggesting that most of the time we put effort to do something but it ends up leading to nothing. The artwork is also a social allegory. For example, poor people in society might hope to stand on their own feet with their own effort, but the sad truth is that cruel reality often discourages them from achieving what they want. The artwork exposes the stark reality of society by engaging with the elusive nature of time.