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Light: Installations by Bruce Munro
When British artist Bruce Munro last exhibited at Longwood Gardens in 2012, the Washington Post called his Forest of Light “…touching and authentic. It is a phenomenon of opposites, organic and synthetic, familiar and otherworldly, tangible and dreamlike.”
Ten years later, Munro is back.
This time, eight signature immersive installations take over the fields around Longwood’s two lakes, the garden’s Pear-Shaped Basin, the on-site conservatory and more, showcasing the artist’s playful nature and his skill in manipulating light and sound.
The new exhibition — one of the biggest of the year in Greater Philadelphia — is on view at Kennett Square’s renowned horticultural attraction Thursday through Sunday nights through October 30, 2022.
Let there be light!
Light: Installations by Bruce Munro features eight light displays sprinkled throughout Longwood Gardens’ hundreds of acres.
— Photo by S. Munro
Outdoors, the Field of Light showcases 18,000 illuminated “flower” stems that flicker reflectively in the water.
A multi-sensory experience, SOS is comprised of 162 illuminated cubes that pulse along with synchronized music, voices, sounds and static, occasionally interrupted by the “dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot” known as the international call for help. The entire sequence of pulsing lights and audio lasts 18 minutes.
Indoors, the exhibition hall is home to C-Scales: Water Gardens, a looping projection series that explores light, water and time. Hundreds of compact discs make up a screen that covers the sunken floor, absorbing and reflecting colored lights to tell a story.
Other pieces include the Music Room, made up of 34 original works on paper inspired by photographs of the Gardens and Ramandu’s Table, 1,000 flamingos glow inside the Chimes Tower basin.
Each night of the exhibition, Longwood offers up tons of additional programming, including live music, a beer garden with libations from Victory Brewing Company, illuminated fountain performances and more.
Plus, themed Light Nights go down on the second Friday of every month: July 8, August 12, September 9 and October 14, 2022. Each supersized event — free with admission — adds even more things to do, like on-site talks and floral demos, to the ongoing programming around live music and fountain shows.
Click the button below to read more about Light Nights.
Light is open Thursday through Sunday evenings and begins at dusk.
Timed tickets — which also include access to a number of other parts of the attraction, including the Flower Garden Walk, the Idea Garden, the Meadow Garden and Peirce’s Woods — are required, and early reservations are recommended as tickets are likely to sell out.
Longwood Gardens is located on US Route 1, about 3 miles northeast of Kennett Square, PA and 30 miles outside of Philadelphia.
Free on-site parking is available. During peak visitation times, free off-site parking and transportation is provided between the off-site parking and the Visitor Center entrance.
For more about Light: Installations by Bruce Munro at Longwood Gardens, click the button below.
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.
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