Gardens and Glass
September 30, 2006
Dale Chihuly is a famous artist known for his glass art, use of color, and integrating art into environments. Gardens and Glass was inspired by his mother's love of plants and his own fascination with glasshouse architecture. The installations were breathtakingly beautiful, and every bit the photographer's dream. I was lucky enough to see it on a mostly-sunny day. On Thursday nights, they have Chihuly Nights, which I'm tempted to see before it leaves, as I can only imagine how magical it is when the sculptures are lit!
Entrance to the Haupt Conservatory, which houses
the largest Chihuly display at NYBG.
Rose Crystal Tower weighs over 4,000 lbs., and the crystals are made of a plastic Chihily calls "Polyvitro."
Palm Dome Tower
Reflection on the water.
Here's a piece sitting amidst the tropical plants in the Conservatory.
(this is actually a plant)
(another real plant)
Ikebana - there are a number of these scattered
throughout the Conservatory. Chihuly was inspired
by the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging.
Norse Blue Ikebana with Blue Sunflower and Blue Stem
Walla Wallas - Glass balls with pointy tips resemble
walla walla onions from Washington State.
Blue Herons
Lily pads and Walla Wallas
These lily pads that look like round trays.
Reeds - Some of these are over 10 feet high. To make them, one glassblower holding the blow-pipe stands on a mechanical lift and blows into the glass, while another pulls it from the ground below.
Blue and Purple Boat
Herons and Walla Wallas in the lily pond.
Neon Tower - 30 green and chartreuse neon tubes
(more than 1.2 mile of neon).
Yellow Boat (and little goldfish)
Walla Wallas
Walla Wallas and Yellow Boat
Reeds
Fiori
Persian Chandelier
Baskets - These were influenced by Native American baskets.
This piece blended right in with the desert plants.
Glass art amidst plants.
Ikebana
Ikebana
Orchid (real plant)
Reeds, inside and outside the Conservatory.
Ikebana
Ikebana
Irwin Perennial Garden
The Sun - This installation weights 4,600 lbs. and consists of over 1,000 pieces of hand-blown glass.
Reflection in the Reflecting Pond.
Children's Adventure Garden entrance
Ferns
Molds are used to create the ribs on these glass pieces.
Crystals - These are hollow and made from plastic.
Macchia Forest (inside Nolen Greenhouse) - Macchia is Italian for "spotted." Chihuly used all 300 colors of glass available to him to create these gorgeous pieces.
Whimsical bronze sculpture outside the greenhouse.
Rose Garden Fiori is a "garden of glass." Chihuly refined some of the techniques used in other pieces, like Reeds.
Rose Garden Fiori overlooks Rockefeller Rose Garden
There's a bee pollenating this pretty rose.
Rose Garden Fiori from the rose garden.
Wildlife in the garden - looks like a reverse skunk (and smelled like a skunk!), but I heard someone say this was a badger.
Chihuly paintings in the gift shop.
Books showing Chihuly's work.
Visitors can also purchase these smaller Chihuly works, which ranged from $4,000 to $7,000.
Pretty pink flowers.
Furry green leaves.
Time to head back to the city. NYBG is in the Bronx, only 20 minutes from Grand Central (via Metro-North).