I remember a time when I thought going to a museum was the only way to
view beautiful artwork. As I got more involved in the art world in college, I
realized I had been wrong. Art is everywhere! Sculptures, murals, installations
and designs can be found everywhere outside the walls of a museum and we see it
becoming more integrated into science, nature and many other fields of study
while becoming more interactive and engaging daily.
In this interwoven world of art, British artist Bruce Munro has filled Pennsylvania’s
Longwood Gardens with six large-scale- outdoor- site-specific lighting
installations. Munro also designed work for the grand conservatory with two indoor
lighting projects and multiple lighting sculptures in the music room. Longwood
Gardens is known as the world’s premier horticulture showplace, which boasts
lush gardens, flawless landscaping and rich history. The blending of Munro’s innovative
installations with the lavish gardens is a first for the United States and sounded
to me like perfection. If there are two things in art I enjoy, it’s light installations
and suspended pieces… so me being excited was an understatement.
I entered the gardens about an hour before dusk with a small group. The
staff, friendly and knowledgeable, directed us to the first installation site Arrow Spring: Beyond Flower Garden Walk. The
300-foot bending trail of sage, fiber optics, and sculptural spheres cascades
down the hillside naturally, creating 15,000 points of light. It felt as if I
was downriver of a magical river of light.
The 7,000
frosted glass spheres are densely scattered along the bank with soft blues,
pinks and greens. As I remained still, taking in the beauty, a color transformation
swept across the globes which appeared to be living and breathing. Among the
water lilies and bullfrogs, the water’s reflection extended the lights further
towards me and it looked just whimsical. Munro formed a seamless marriage of
light and nature in the perfect dose to delight me yet leave me wanting more.
As the group moved on without me, I took one last look so I could remember this
dreamy moment. This site is divine.
As we moved on our adventure, we
found ourselves walking down a softly lit path, unaware of our destination. As
we emerged in an open field, I was delighted to see huge towers of color
scattered everywhere. I lost my group as I was captivated with curiosity to
discover what these towers were. 
Water Towers: Meadow at Hourglass Lake are
sixty- nine multi colored pillars lined with recycled bottles filled with water
and fiber optics. The color of the fiber-optics change color with the sound
being projected from them allowing the viewer to experience sound translated
into color and back. I walked aimlessly, immersing myself among the lights and
sounds. This site was more interactive than the last and I enjoyed watching
kids dance and move about among the towers that projected an energy that
everyone could feel.
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| Photo courtesy of Longwood Gardens |
There was no sunlight left in the
sky as we made our way into the woods on a dimly lit path heading towards what
looked like the heavens. Forest of Light:
Forest Walk quickly became my favorite installation of Munro’s. I felt I
was leaving earth to spend time in another world. I was mesmerized by the illuminated
globes of glass that lined the winding path through the dense forest of trees.
The globes, filled with a twisted fiber optic strand, changed color subtly like a
breeze had swept across them.
As I walked along the path, the atmosphere grew
darker and the light spheres appeared brighter. It was so dark that you could
barely see the others around and although I knew they were there, it felt like
they weren’t. Somehow the public exhibition felt like a personal experience and the 22,000 lights
were all for my viewing. I was floating deep in a magical world that seemed so
far from anything I had ever experienced. All around me, as far as I could see
was organic light that was alive and it was breathtaking. I could not find the
end of the path but I enjoyed feeling that there was no end to my hidden world.
I already knew I would be back again soon and maybe then I would find myself at
the other end of the most magical place I had experienced.
The pairing of Longwood Gardens with Bruce Munro’s installations is
perfection. From entrance to exit Munro illuminates the gardens with magic and
charm that feels like you’re deep in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream or
a fairy tale from childhood. I highly recommend this as the tri-stateare's event of the summer that is not to be missed! Whether you bring children or a date, Munro's installations are sure to ignite everyone's child inside.
-Briana
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| Outside the Entrance |
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| "Snowballs" as they change in color |
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| "Snowballs" are suspended from the ceiling in the grand conservatory |
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| "Gnasher's Raspberry" sculpture in the music room |
For more information visit http://www.longwoodgardens.org/
Unless noted, all photography by Briana Marrocco
