NASHVILLE, TN.- Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art is presenting internationally acclaimed British artist Bruce Munro’s LIGHT, a site-specific exhibition of breathtaking, large-scale outdoor lighting installations and indoor sculptures, from May 24 through November 10, 2013.
The full exhibit was shown to the press for the first time on May 21 in a tour guided by Munro. He detailed his inspirations and techniques for each piece that is transforming Cheekwood’s magnificent gardens and rolling hills into an enchanting, iridescent landscape that emerges organically at nightfall.
Munro’s LIGHT at Cheekwood marks only the second time he has showcased his solo work in the United States . In 2012, Munro debuted LIGHT at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa. , drawing nearly 300,000 visitors and widespread critical praise.
“Cheekwood is elated that we’re ready to show the entirety of Bruce Munro’s Light. This exhibit represents more than 6,500 hours of careful design and creation and another 2,000 hours during the course of a month and a half to bring it to life on our grounds,” said Jane O. MacLeod, president and CEO of Cheekwood. “The final result is truly beyond words so we invite everyone to experience for themselves the exhibition as it comes to life at nightfall.”
Because LIGHT’s luminous beauty is designed to be appreciated at dusk and at night, Cheekwood offers extended hours on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings until 11 p.m. On First Tennessee Fridays, Cheekwood will open its Pineapple Room Restaurant for dinner, host several bars with drinks and snacks throughout the property, and feature live music to enhance visitors’ LIGHT experience.
Wiltshire-based Munro is an installation artist working with light in all of its forms. His work has been exhibited at London ’s Victoria and Albert Museum and at the 13th century gothic Salisbury Cathedral, where it garnered international praise. Munro’s work has also been shown at the Holburne Museum in Bath , Kensington Palace in London and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City .
“Cheekwood is the most perfect place to exhibit because it provides a variety of opportunities to respond to – each space varies in scale and topographical character, “ said Munro. “The mansion is truly at one with the landscape, and this understated balance and harmony inspired me to create Field of Light within its environs. Approaching the mansion, visitors will be mesmerized by the 20,000 lighted glass spheres rising from the ground on slender stems. Their sheer volume, glow and gentle shapes silhouetted against Cheekwood’s architectural masterpiece create an effect that is both natural and otherworldly, setting the tone for visitors’ evenings experiencing Light.”
In Cheekwood’s color garden, 40 monumental towers made from 10,080 recyclable water bottles luminesce in a glowing dance as the individual towers change color in synchronization with music. This installation, Water-Towers, seeks to “capture the spirit of life's continual flux,” explains Munro. “It re info rces the idea that reality is simply a beautiful improvised dance that lives in the moment.”
Along with the seven large-scale outdoor installations, LIGHT features two suspended illuminated sculptures within Cheekwood’s Museum of Art and a gallery exhibition dedicated to Munro’s small-scale works.
