Chihuly, Glass Sculptures, Desert - 1

Dale Chihuly....

That was all we needed to know to order tickets.

"Dale Chihuly Glass Art at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix." With that, we knew the setting would be the perfect complement to Chihuly's work.

And on a cool December evening, we joined cousin Raina and her husband Jesse for Chihuly in the Garden as part of Los Noches de las Luminarias in Phoenix.

The lighting trio of a full moon, the luminarias, and the glass sculpture displays produced a magical evening.

Just inside the entrance was the Sapphire Star.

More than 730 blue to clear spires provided a stunning introduction to the exhibits.

The two elements of the "Scarlet and Yellow Asymmetrical Towers" seemed to serve as an entrance to another part of the Garden's trails.

As with almost all of the displays, the view from several feet produces one type of reaction;

a close-up view elicits a sense of wonder as one studies the small details of the display.

After a site visit with the design team, they worked with the garden staff to determine the best locations that wouldn’t disturb the plants or animals that inhabit the garden. The attention paid to the placement of the glass works creates an impression that the sculptures have "grown" among the cacti sharing the space with them.

The effect of seeing the lighted creations in an otherwise totally dark setting often gives the impression that they are floating in a sea of darkness. The work entitled "Blue Fiori Sun" is shown in the next two photos.

A saguaro cactus is silhouetted against this red and yellow tower on one of the trails.

We had a map of the Garden's trails, but we were virtually unable to use it effectively because of the limited available light. However, at every intersection, there was a volunteer who could provide directions regarding which trail to take to see displays or to locate the café and performing musicians.

The "Red Reeds" (photos above and below) seemed to be providing colorful companionship to the surrounding cacti.

"Chihuly is credited with revolutionizing the Studio Glass movement and elevating the perception of the glass medium from craft to fine art. He is renowned for his ambitious architectural installations around the world, in historic cities, museums and gardens. Chihuly’s work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide" (dbg.org/events-exhibitions/chihuly).

In an interview with Kellie Hwang of The Republic, Chihuly was quoted as saying, “I’ve always loved the desert. My work just seems to look good in the desert. It’s something about the glass and the smoothness, and the contrast of the desert; it feels just right.”

“It’s such a beautiful backdrop, the palette of the desert,” said Britt Cornett, head of exhibitions for Chihuly Studio in Seattle.

“Since 2001, Dale has been doing exhibitions in gardens. Many conservatories have a gallery that’s dedicated to the desert environment, but never are they all-encompassing like the Desert Botanical Garden” (azcentral.com).

Cattails

Our walk will continue tomorrow.