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In 2022, Longwood will bring back artist who illuminated the grounds

Betsy PriceCulture, Headlines

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Bruce Munro’s ‘Field of Light’ will fill the land near the Longwood Gardens’ large lake with 18,000 illuminated orbs in the summer of 2022.

 

Longwood Gardens will welcome back artist Bruce Munro for a garden-wide exhibition June 30 through October 30, 2022.

“Longwood is thrilled to present the work of Bruce Munro 10 years after the success of his debut exhibition in our Gardens,” said Longwood Gardens President and CEO Paul B. Redman, “Since he first wowed our guests, Bruce has gone on to delight audiences across the United States and around the globe with his imaginative and beautiful artwork.

“Light: Installations by Bruce Munro” will feature an entirely new exhibition with eight groupings, some indoors and some outdoors at the former du Pont estate in Kennett Square that has become world-class horticulture display.

Highlights will include “Field of Light,” featuring 18,000 illuminated stemmed orbs lit by fiber optics along Longwood’s Large Lake. Munro’s imaginative sculpture will also be sited at the Small Lake, Orchard, Chimes Tower and other locations.

Inside the Conservatory, the Exhibition Hall is transformed into a shimmering audio-visual installation telling the story of Longwood’s waterlilies, using an array of overlapping CDs, while in the East Conservatory a monumental geodesic sphere incorporating 1,820 recyclable bottles will radiate light.

The exhibition comes as one end of the conservatory has been dismantled for construction on a grand reimagining that will create a huge new space.

“Returning to Longwood Gardens is a bit like coming home,” said Bruce Munro. “I am excited to return to this remarkable place and to share with guests new works that I hope will inspire them through the interplay of nature, landscape, and light.”

“Light: Installations by Bruce Munro” will be on view Thursday through Sunday evenings June 30 through Oct. 30 next year. Tickets will go on sale March 7. For more information, go to longwoodgardens.org.

Longwood was founded in by industrialist Pierre du Pont, who wanted to save a collection of historic trees from being sold for lumber. Today, its 1,100 acres of dazzling gardens, woodlands, meadows, fountains and more includes signature displays, including A Longwood Christmas.

Munro, who has a dual citizenship with England and Australia is known for producing large immersive light-based installations, which often employ a massing of components by the thousands.

His work has been shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Waddesdon Manor, the Rothschild Collection, Buckinghamshire; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. For more on him, go to www.brucemunro.co.uk.

 

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