Waterlillies. 100 6-ft. foam lilies, 100 8-ft. foam lilies, 65,000 recycled CDs. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Introduction
Earlier in the summer, my friend
Jen and I drove down to Kennett Square, PA to visit the lovely (and quite large)
Longwood Gardens. Aside from visiting the legendary gardens, we specifically went to see the
Bruce Munro exhibit, Light. The works (on display until September 29) use light and color to express the artist's exhilaration felt while visiting the gardens.
The
history of the gardens can be traced to the end of the 18th century, when Joshua and Samuel Peirce established an arboretum on their nearly 100 year-old family farm. By 1906, economic concerns put the arboretum in danger of being sold for lumber. Enter our hero, Pierre S. du Pont, a wealthy industrialist and renaissance man who purchased the land just to save the trees.
As you might have surmised, Pierre was a descendant of Eleuthère Irénée du Pont, founder of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (gunpowders). Pierre used his wealth, knowledge, and energy to create the marvelous fountains, conservatories, and gardens found at Longwood today. It's an impressive place, but even more impressive is the fact that Pierre spent more than 30 years designing the garden's elements and overseeing the work, all while reorganizing, and later serving as President of DuPont. He also served as Director of General Motors from 1920-1928.
Jen and I toured nearly all of Longwood Gardens, staying from mid-morning until nightfall to see the changes in the Light installations as well as the water shows. Below are just a sample of the many photos I snapped of our visit. I hope you'll enjoy them and visit Longwood Gardens before the end of September to enjoy Bruce Munro's Light.
The Italian Water Gardens. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Main Fountain Theater. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Main Fountain Control Panel, Resting Room, Peirce-du Pont House. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Main Fountain Garden. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Outdoor Waterlily Display, West Conservatory Complex. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Outdoor Waterlily Display, West Conservatory Complex. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Outdoor Waterlily Display, West Conservatory Complex. Longwood Gardens. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Water Towers in the Meadow. 17,388 1-liter recyclable bottles, 552 laser-cut wood layers, 42.9 mi (69,000m) bare optic fiber, 69 LED light sources with hand painted color wheels, 23 speakers, 1 audio control box, 1 solid-state music player. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Forest of Light. 20,000 clear glass spheres, 20,000 acrylic rods mounted on stakes,
89.9 mi (140,000 m) bare optic fiber, 80 halogen light sources with hand painted colour wheels. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Forest of Light. 20,000 clear glass spheres, 20,000 acrylic rods mounted on stakes,
89.9 mi (140,000 m) bare optic fiber, 80 halogen light sources with hand painted colour wheels. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Field of Light. 7,000 frosted glass spheres, 7,000 acrylic rods mounted on stakes, 34.8 mi (56,000 m) bare optic fiber, 15 metal halide light sources with hand-painted colour wheels. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Field of Light. 7,000 frosted glass spheres, 7,000 acrylic rods mounted on stakes, 34.8 mi (56,000 m) bare optic fiber, 15 metal halide light sources with hand-painted colour wheels. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Arrow Spring. 16 stainless steel spheres, 16 LED flashlights, over 58 mi (94,000 m) bare optic fiber, 328 ground stakes, four varieties of sage. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
Arrow Spring. 16 stainless steel spheres, 16 LED flashlights, over 58 mi (94,000 m) bare optic fiber, 328 ground stakes, four varieties of sage. Longwood Gardens. Artwork © Bruce Munro. Photograph © Debra Schiff. All rights reserved.
2 comments:
Great post, Deb, and fabulous photos!
Thanks, Jen!
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