The Garfield Park Conservatory is one of Chicago’s most treasured cultural treasures, and now through September, it is illuminated with colors. Artists Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero of Luftwerk (who in 2012 were responsible for the light show at Chicago’s infamous “Bean”), recently installed a series of five light and sculpture installations called Solarise: A Sea of All Colors at the Conservatory.
There’s a different theme to each installation… The Beacon covers the conservatory’s dome with 14 LED light strands. The Portal is a floating mirror which draws visitors to the conservatory’s reflection pool. The Florescence utilizes LED lighting to transform the Show House into a spectacle of colorful shadow play. The Seed of Light manages to transform the Horticulture Hall into a “kinetic chandelier of water and light”. And finally, the Prismatic uses light and sound to create a transformative evening experience.
Only fitting, the exhibition opened on September 23rd, last year’s Autumn equinox, and will close later this year on the Autumn equinox, September 22nd. You have almost a year, so find time to spend an afternoon in one of Chicago’s most iconic locales!
At the “Show House”, known for its spectacular flowers, “Florescence” is a canopy comprised of solar panels that cast colorful shadows, revealing a spectrum of light that is necessary for plant growth.
Image courtesy of: The Columbia Chronicle
The “Prismatic” exhibit uses cross-sectional geometry of desert plant bodies and realizes their forms into a multi-dimensional representation. As the sun moves overhead throughout the day, the light displays shift.
Image courtesy of: Mas Context
“Portal” uses series of mirrors in the “Palm House”, which consists of multiple mirrors oriented over a reflection pool. The beautiful natural surroundings reflect in the various mirrors throughout the room.
Image courtesy of: Public Art in Chicago
